Hunting for a Prophecy
by Yatsushiro Ryko
Summary: Ever since the titans first appeared, humanity has been steadily pushed to the brink of extinction. The remnants of the human race live in peace behind their massive walls. But it is not meant to last. There are many more forces at work outside the walls, and all of them are after something. Amidst all the chaos that ensues, two oblivious boys will fight for what they believe in.
1. Prologue

**Welcome everyone to a new story that wouldn't leave me for quite a while. I finally found some spare time to write it since my muse simply wouldn't function for any other story until I got started with this one. The idea hit me when I found myself appalled at the lack of Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan fanfics that I could come across on this site. The idea hit me and after discussing it with a few people, it might be worth giving this crossover a shot. The series has so much potential that it wouldn't hurt to combine it with another universe since they haven't gone that far outside the walls in the manga yet and it may still be quite some time before they do.**

 **And without anything else to say, enjoy!**

* * *

 **(Prologue)**

Naruto silently bit back the urge to sigh heavily as he lazily opened his eyes to the early morning rays of sunlight that shone through the window. It was yet another day, one more day to add to his pathetic life. Well, it wasn't overly pathetic but it was still horrible nonetheless.

The blond haired boy then gave into the temptation and sighed heavily as he sat up to stretch before taking a deep yawn. He then took a moment to gaze around his room before moving the bed cover aside to stand up. As he headed to the washroom to freshen up for the day, he decided that he could do the bed later on in the day, nobody was going to enter his room aside from him anyways so why bother in the first place?

At eleven years of age, Naruto was fairly average in height standing at five feet and had a light build. It wouldn't be very hard to notice him however, as his spiky and unkempt golden locks were a rarity within all the three walls. As a matter of fact Naruto could go as far as to say that he was the only one with golden blond hair. As if that wasn't enough, deep wells of dark blue cerulean eyes that practically shone in the light lit up his face. Yet his most distinctive feature was the set of identical whisker marks that he possessed. Three parallel lines symmetrical on each cheek that looked like deep grooves within the skin.

The blond boy sighed again after he finished brushing his teeth and washing his face. His strange looks were one of the reasons that he was being purposefully isolated within the orphanage and in the neighbourhood in general. Apparently people didn't like what was different all that much.

The fact that in the five story orphanage, he had the top floor all to himself was a testament to how isolated he was from everyone else. All the new children would rather bunk together rather than to mingle with him, the Demon Boy. Naruto wasn't sure were exactly those rumours started or why they did but they just, did. Somehow the rumour started that only a demon could have such naturally engraved, distinctive marks on their cheeks, that only demons had his unnatural shade of hair, that his blue orbs were tricks of pity that would be used to lure you in.

It certainly didn't help that it was the caretakers themselves that had been spreading it.

Another thing that had the ten year old wondering, was what the weird markings on his stomach indicated. It was only visible when his shirt was up, but it was very hard to miss. The spiraling runes gave off a very bad vibe indeed and were another source of question to his tormentors that pushed him away.

Naruto then stared at the mirror at his miserable face for a long moment before slapping himself harshly. That frown wouldn't do! The best way to get back at everyone else was to show that he wasn't affected by what they were putting him through. A wide grin then made it to his face. What better way to irritate them than with a blinding smile? No matter how fake, it would get the job done.

Throwing on a black shirt with an orange spiral on both front and back sides as well as some orange cargo shorts, the blonde eleven year old then strapped on his black sandals and bravely marched out of the room to the mess hall on the first floor. Two minutes later saw him back at his front door after remembering to head back and close it.

The mess hall was bustling with the noise of a great many children of varying ages going about their business and eating their fill along with all the caretakers moving about. Yet the silence arrived just as suddenly as Naruto dropped to the last of the stairs, with all eyes turned to him. Some had looks of fear, others detest, and some with jealousy. It didn't phase the blond however since he was used to it. He had been in the orphanage for as long as he could remember anyway, and he'd seen those looks since he could understand what they meant. He answered back with that stupid grin that he had already plastered onto his face, relishing in the fact that some caretakers had their eyes twitching at the sight of it.

With his blinding smile still plastered onto his face, Naruto strode straight through the mess hall on his way out. He didn't mind about breakfast since he was usually served later on, alone. But that wasn't his main objective. His goal was to make it outside of the orphanage building altogether to greet the old man that seemed to be asleep in his rocking chair, out on the front porch of the orphanage.

The second he passed underneath the doorway the noise started up again in the mess hall, resuming as everyone hastily returned to their business now that he had left them. The blond eleven year old paid it no heed as a real smile filled his face.

"Good morning Old Man!" He shouted excitedly.

The old man in question cracked open one eye lazily to gaze at the boy as he drew a long breath from his wooden pipe. "Good morning to you too Naruto, eager to get started this early?" he asked kindly.

This was one of the reasons for Naruto's real smile. This old man was one of only two people to show him any sort of kindness, and unlike the other caretakers at the orphanage Naruto was certain that this old man's generosity and kindness were genuine and not forced. It was probably why some of the other children were jealous of him; the demon brat got to spend so much time alone with the owner of the orphanage. It was simply too much for a mere child to comprehend yet it was something that the blond eleven year old never questioned.

"What about your breakfast Naruto?" The man questioned curiously, "Skipping out on it again? That's not good for a growing body you know?"

Naruto looked back up into the man's withered old face. It was no secret that the owner was very old based on all the wrinkles that were forming everywhere and the fact that he couldn't move very fast anymore. The small white goatee and the lack of hair made it even more apparent. Other than that Naruto had to question the man's choice of clothing. Naruto was sure that if he was the only one with golden blond hair, then the owner of the orphanage was the only one with this specific fashion sense. It was strange and unique that was for certain.

Upon the old man's head sat a red square hat that looked similar to a pyramid with rounded edges and on two of the sides, pieces of white cloth draped down to hide the back of the old man's head and neck while the front was left open. On the front corner of the hat sat a kanji that the man explained meant Fire. As for clothing, Naruto was wondering why an old man would wear two robes on top of each other. The first was a red that matched the red present on his strange hat while the second was a white robe with more red kanji travelling down the back meaning something that Naruto had already conveniently forgotten. Not to forget a large white scarf that was draped around his shoulders. Those kanji were a language that Hiruzen had said were long forgotten yet was teaching Naruto anyway.

In other words the old man looked as foreign as foreign could be.

"That's no problem gramps! I can always get some later! I want to continue our lessons already come on!" Naruto insisted as he practically bounced up and down in excitement. The lessons had only begun around two years ago but Naruto was already improving rapidly, well according to the owner of the orphanage anyway. The boy may not have enjoyed the theoretical aspects all that much due to the time it took, which was almost the entire time, but he still understood their importance and absorbed them as best he could.

The old man chuckled heartily as he messed up the blond boy's hair. "Easy there, with that much energy you'll burn yourself out before you even reach twenty!"

The blond eleven year old merely grumbled in response as he pouted trying to fix his ruffled up hair.

"Excuse me Sir Sarutobi," A male caretaker with his hair tied up in a ponytail interrupted politely from the door. "I've brought some of your ginger tea." This man also had a scar that ran horizontally across his face, something from a childhood accident.

If it was possible, Naruto's smile grew even brighter at the sight of the only other man to ever show him kindness. This went unnoticed however as the two older men focused on each other.

"Nonsense Iruka! How many times must I tell you to simply call me Hiruzen? We've known each other for years and being called sir just makes me feel old!" The now identified man chuckled once again before drawing another breath from his pipe.

Iruka had the decency to look sheepish as he scratched the back of his head, "Sorry Hiruzen, it's just difficult to get used to being so, familiar, with my superior." The scar faced man then turned to the other person on the porch after handing the old man his tea. "And good morning to you too Naruto!"

Taking that as his cue, Naruto leapt up to embrace the caretaker in a fierce hug. "Good morning to you too Iruka!"

"Are you off to your 'secret' training with sir Sar-Hiruzen today?" Iruka asked as he patted the shorter Naruto's head, catching his slip up again.

He received a vigorous nod in response.

Turning to the old man in the rocking chair, Iruka was only mildly surprised that Hiruzen had already somehow managed to down the entire tea mug he had been given and was already out of the rocking chair and making his way down the road with a walking stick. The scar faced man then narrowed his eyes. Somehow the orphanage owner had done all that without the lit wooden pipe ever leaving his mouth.

"You'd better get going then, you might get left behind otherwise." Iruka casually warned the unaware boy next to him.

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise and he spun around rapidly to catch sight of Hiruzen already quite a way down the street. "Gramps wait up!" He yelled as he darted after the old man.

"I'll leave your breakfast in you room Naruto!" Iruka called out after the fleeing boy.

The blond turned his upper torso while still running to wave a goodbye and thanks before disappearing into the crowd.

Meanwhile a small smile made its way onto Iruka's face before returning to his duties as a caretaker at the only orphanage in the entire city of Shiganshina.

* * *

Walking side by side, the pair made it to the interior of wall Maria as they exited the village of Shiganshina. Their private training ground was safely hidden away from the prying eyes of everyone else. It wasn't exactly what anyone would call hidden but it was far enough from human activity that the chances of being seen or heard at all while doing their unique activities were slim to none.

That didn't mean that Hiruzen couldn't already start the lesson while on the long journey there. "So Naruto, I'll ask again, what is chakra and how is it formed?" He asked in lecture mode. It was always good to revise what you had already learned.

Without missing a beat Naruto quickly recited what he knew from memory. "Chakra is a special energy formed by the combining of both a person's spiritual energy from the mind and physical energy from the body. Chakra is formed once they reach a balance and this energy can be used for all sorts of things. Although everything has chakra, even rocks and plants, not every human can access or use their chakra."

Hiruzen nodded in approval before moving on to the next question. "Now can you list all the basic _jutsu_ (techniques) that I have been teaching you recently and what their purpose is for?"

"Well, there is the **Nawanuke no jutsu** (Rope Escape Technique) which is used to loosen any of the ropes or bindings wrapped around us as long as we have chakra to form. Then there is the **Karuremino no jutsu** (Cloak of Invisibility Technique) which allows us to turn almost invisible by causing distortions in the air around us so that people think no one is actually there provided that you are silent enough."

" This is followed by the **Shunshin no jutsu** (Body Flicker Technique) which lets the user's body move at extremely high speeds to a location that they can see or have seen as long as it is nearby. Range depends on user's skill but usually one can only shunshin around a mile or so. The next one you taught me was the **Henge no jutsu** (Transformation Technique) that allows you to take another person's form or anything's form as long as you have enough chakra and provided that you can clearly imagine what you want to become. But you also need to know the mannerisms of a person as well as their schedule if you want to impersonate them."

"Next is the **Kawarimi no jutsu** (Substitution Technique) which lets you swap places with any inanimate object or another person as long as both are of similar size otherwise too much chakra will then be used up. Finally there is the **Bunshin no jutsu** (Clone Technique) which allows us to cast a small _genjutsu_ (Illusion) to make a perfect imitation of ourselves to fool opponents or serve as a distraction." Naruto recited once again.

Just the thought to being able to practice all of them once again in secret with the old man was already making Naruto giddy with excitement. Of course the learning part had its drawbacks since you couldn't just get everything right on the first try. Add that to the fact that the old man could barely perform any of those jutsu now without breaking into a coughing fit. Hiruzen's excuse was that he was an old man and that he had so little chakra left in his chakra pool while Naruto's would only grow. That meant that Hiruzen could only demonstrate each jutsu a special few times.

Not that Naruto had any problem with that, but he was getting on remarkably well with each of the 'basic' techniques he was being taught. The blond boy began pondering what more advanced techniques could do if these were only the basic. The only ones he was having problems with were the **Shunshin** (Body Flicker) and the **Bunshin** (Clone).

First was that he could not properly aim his **shunshin** , even if he was looking directly at the spot that he wanted to be transported to. Crashing into trees or buildings at the speed of a **shunshin** hurt like hell by the way. And those few times that it did work, he was too bewildered to do anything other than trip and fall flat on his face. Or vomit, like the first few times it did work.

And the **Bunshin**? That was hopeless, the product was supposed to be an indistinguishable copy of the original user, not some spineless, see-through piece of jelly. Hiruzen just told him he needed to work on his chakra control, by walking up trees then walking across water. Naruto wouldn't have believed him if he hadn't seen it himself around a week ago. If he didn't know better he would have called Hiruzen a magician. But the old man preferred to be called a 'Shinobi', whatever that meant. The smoking elder would never elaborate. But Naruto simply assumed that it was part of the new language he was being taught. He never heard anyone else speak Japanese before. He was doing well enough to speak a little with Hiruzen, but he still had a lot to learn.

"Naruto, today we will be working on your _Taijutsu_ (Body Techniques/Fighting Skills) again. You've already got a firm grasp on all the jutsu I have given you and you can practice that on your own time, as well as your other chakra control techniques." Hiruzen said calmly, breaking Naruto out of his thoughts.

The blond boy however was confused and did not even try to hide it. "Aww come on old man! Why! _Taijutsu_ is boring and it's not even like we'll be fighting other humans anytime soon." Naruto added in a pout as he crossed he arms.

Hiruzen chuckled a little before taking another breath from his pipe. "I'm teaching you how to always be prepared Naruto, you can never be too ready. It is one vital fact of being a shinobi."

"But I'm not going to be a shinobi! And there's only one of you anyway and I don't even know what a shinobi does." Naruto complained again.

"You will find out soon boy, ever since I started teaching you, you have already been classified as a shinobi. And as your teacher I get to decide what to teach you." Hiruzen explained patiently. "And as your teacher I also say that we must learn _Taijutsu_. You seem to be quite proficient at brawling already but that will only get you so far. Technique and finesse will always beat brute strength, remember that Naruto." He added as an afterthought.

"Okay Okay, you got me. But wait, was that another 'phrase of wisdom' that I was supposed to remember?" Naruto asked sheepishly and Hiruzen began laughing.

"It seems we need to work on you observation skills as well Naruto." Hiruzen looked at Naruto's face and realized that the eleven year old was still waiting for an answer. "Just in case, yes Naruto, you're supposed to remember that and implement it."

Naruto nodded in determination as he began committing the phrase to memory. The old man let the boy alone for a minute, proud that Naruto was taking so well to his teachings.

"Umm, old man? Which part of that was I supposed to remember?" Naruto asked innocently.

Hiruzen almost face planted into the dirt road.

* * *

Naruto pushed himself harder and harder. It was already late afternoon and yet he was running through the same _Kata_ (Movements/Stances) that he had gone through all morning with Hiruzen. The old man had literally and figuratively beaten the new fighting style into him before leaving him alone to practice in the training ground. Naruto also had a newfound hatred for that walking stick that the old man had been carrying.

The old man had gone home at around noon already exhausted due to overexerting himself for the entire morning. One thing Naruto would say was, even at that age, that man could fight. Even leaning on a walking stick, Naruto got the shit beaten out of him. But that was before Hiruzen managed to force him to adapt to the new fighting style, by whacking him extra hard with the walking stick every single time he strayed from it.

Naruto adapted quickly, noticing that the new style got him hit less, even while Hiruzen was trying to hit him on purpose and Naruto was never so proud to have landed a single hit. A glancing blow to an old man on a walking stick! But even Naruto would admit that this more fluid new style of fighting was definitely a big bonus, he just had to master it. Even if it was fairly simple in nature and not that advanced.

Not that it would be a problem to master the simple style since Naruto had been here all day moving non stop and working on gaining muscle memory. For some reason that neither he nor the old man could seem to figure out, Naruto had a seemingly inextinguishable energy depot that lead to great stamina. Basically he could carry on and on until someone forced him to stop. Naruto remembered being overjoyed about that little fact until Hiruzen warned him that it was possible to overwork yourself without realizing it before leading to an early death. Naruto had shut up after that.

But it was going to get dark soon and they Naruto belatedly remembered that he hadn't eaten anything for the entire day. Maybe it would be a good idea to head back, since he didn't want Hiruzen or Iruka to worry. He was also probably more than a little hungry.

The sound of a twig snapping had him almost jumping straight out of his skin as he whirled around to face the intruder to his training area, only half realizing that he was still in his fighter stance. Naruto could literally hear Hiruzen scolding him in his head about being caught of guard when a shinobi had to always pay attention to his or her surroundings.

"Who's there?" he demanded threateningly. Well, as threatening as an eleven year old could be anyway.

Iruka walked slowly out of the bushes with his hands up in surrender and a disarming smile on his face. "It's only me Naruto. Hiruzen sent me out to fetch you and I decided to test your awareness again. Unfortunately I don't think I was doing too well." The scar faced man admitted sheepishly.

Naruto relaxed his stance and let out a deep breath. "Thank goodness that it's just you. I thought that someone was watching me."

"It's just fine. It's good to be cautious anyway. But I think we should be heading back now, Mizuki is waiting for us at the gate." Iruka explained.

The blond eleven year old however scowled in response. "What does he want?" Naruto asked, not even trying to hide his distaste for the white haired caretaker at the orphanage.

"Now don't be like that Naruto, Hiruzen sent him as well to accompany me. But I didn't think he wanted to walk far so I left him at the gate." Iruka said as he tried to calm down his charge.

"Tch, I'm surprised he made it that far." Naruto spat venomously.

Iruka frowned a little before picking up a stick and whacking Naruto on the head.

Naruto recoiled in irritation as he held his paining head. "Oi! What was that for!" He demanded angrily only to receive another whack.

"Manners Naruto." Iruka reminded.

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise before realizing he was being punished by Iruka again and he bowed his head. "Sorry Iruka, it won't happen again." He promised sincerely.

"That's better." The scar faced man said before ruffling Naruto's hair, "Now come on, let's head back and get you filled up."

Naruto looked up questioningly.

Iruka caved in. "With ramen of course. I'll make it."

The way Naruto practically beamed at him was definitely worth it. Iruka dreaded what would have happened if neither he nor Hiruzen had turned their eyes to the boy and took their time to help raise him. Would Naruto still be the way he was now? Would he be a silent, abused and isolated child? Would he even still be alive? Iruka shivered at the thought and faced the boy again. It was best not to think like that.

Unknown to him Naruto was watching the older man's face intently, wondering what was going through the scar faced man's mind. He loved the young man as much as he would a brother or a father just as he viewed Hiruzen as a grandfather figure. Try as he might he could not figure out what they saw in him. Hiruzen maybe since the old man was a shinobi and said that only a handful amount of people could actually access and use chakra. If Naruto was being taught so that the practice wouldn't die out then Hiruzen was being reasonable, but that didn't mean that the old man had to be nice to Naruto did it? Naruto would never find out, he knew that much. Shinobi were supposed to be full of secrets anyway.

'Deception is a vital tool for shinobi.' Hiruzen had once said, and Naruto would never forget it. Although applying it seemed to be a different matter altogether.

But then what was Iruka doing? Everyone had some sort of motive. That was another lesson from Hiruzen. Was Iruka trying to get close to him for some reason? A hidden motive? Was Iruka just being nice to deceive him? Unlike Hiruzen Iruka was no shinobi otherwise Hiruzen would have known. Wouldn't he?

Naruto growled in frustration. Being a shinobi and always 'looking underneath the underneath' was hard. Another important phrase of shinobi life. Wait, look underneath the underneath? Was Hiruzen sending him a hidden warning to look out for Iruka who might have…?

Naruto growled again. Hiruzen had said it would all come naturally to him and not to over think everything otherwise he would be too paranoid to function, not that paranoia was bad since it kept a shinobi alive but what if maybe…?

After a third growl and shaking his head in frustration he looked back to see Iruka looking at him strangely.

"Are you okay Naruto? You don't seem well."

Naruto frowned. Great, he was caught unaware again. A shinobi had to remain alert of their surroundings. He could picture Hiruzen whacking him with that damned walking stick again, especially if he was getting thrown out of form by a mere civilian of all things.

"Yeah I'm fine Iruka. I just realized that I was really hungry after all." The eleven year old emphasized the fact by clutching his stomach.

He noticed Iruka looked satisfied and nodded to himself. Apparently deceiving people seemed to be quite easy and he was learning.

"Then we'd best head back as soon as we can to fill that bottomless pit you have in you." Iruka teased.

Naruto grinned back. "Last one to the gate does the other's laundry."

Iruka grinned back as well. "Deal."

Naruto used the sole of his foot to carve a makeshift starting line in the dirt, already confident about his ability to win. He knew how to apply chakra to his feet to boost his running already.

Both of them then got into standard racing positions at the starting line before Iruka turned towards Naruto. "Before we start, you promise not to use any of those secret things that Sir Hiruzen is teaching you? Because if not then the deal's off."

Naruto silently weighed his options. He was probably almost as fast as Iruka even without chakra, and he really didn't want to do any laundry if he could help it. "Yeah, I promise. Now can we get on with it please? I'm starving."

Iruka nodded and they both faced towards the distant gate. "On three." Iruka clarified.

"One…"

Naruto took a deep breath and relaxed his muscles for a minute, preparing for the inevitable sprint with an older man. This would prove exciting. He set his sights on the massive gate. Target locked.

Naruto realized a second too late that there had been no second count and turned to ask why only to find Iruka missing from his spot and already making good way towards the gate.

"You cheat! You gave yourself a head start!" Naruto yelled after the scar faced man.

Then again it was mostly Naruto's fault that Iruka got as far as he did. Caught unaware again. Deceived and tricked by a civilian. Hiruzen would be crying if he saw this. All the lessons taught to Naruto being used against him by a man that had no clue whatsoever as to what the eleven year old was being taught.

"Damn it!" Naruto yelled as he tripped over an outlying rock. "Stay focused you idiot!" he snarled at himself as he pushed his muscles to the extreme, trying desperately to catch up to the older man. He was sorely tempted to send even just a little chakra to his legs but he had promised he wouldn't, and Naruto would never break a promise, no matter how foolish. But he was tricked into doing laundry! And he absolutely hated doing laundry! But he made a promise.

"See you there Naruto!" Iruka called out from even further away.

"Damn it!" Naruto yelled again as he began to rapidly close the distance between them. He really needed practice at being alert. "Wait up!"

* * *

Mizuki was at the edge of his patience already. The white haired man didn't see the reason he was sent with Iruka at all. Frankly, he hated that blond brat, the brat hated him and Iruka could take care of himself. Currently he leant against the wall of the tunnel that served as a gate while brooding with his arms crossed. The fact that Iruka was taking so long to fetch the boy was steadily increasing his ire, what was the brat doing so far away in the first place?

He was cut out of his musings as he spotted the cause of his thoughts quickly closing in and he found himself even more irritated. While he had been waiting patiently they seemed to have been playing a game and having fun of all things. A scowl made its way onto his face as he went to confront them.

"Ha! I win!" Naruto boasted loudly, successfully managing to overtake Iruka at the last second. That race had given him an exhilarating rush that he hadn't felt in a while. The fact that he didn't have to do any laundry at all was just icing on the cake. He was panting a little heavily though. Training the whole day without breakfast before the race was probably a good reason as to why, the blond boy surmised. But Iruka was crazy fast on his feet, Naruto would admit that much.

The scar faced caretaker was similarly drawing in deep breaths of air, he may have had advantage over Naruto in terms of age, body and the fact that he was not as tired as the boy when the race started, but he was definitely out of shape if that run had left him like this. Being a caretaker didn't seem to want to keep his body fit but the smile on Naruto's face was definitely worth it.

The moment was quickly ruined however by a scowling Mizuki making his way towards them. "What took you so long?" He demanded moodily, clearly irritated with them.

Iruka groaned. It was just like Mizuki to bring the proverbial rain clouds with him everywhere he went. What a way to ruin a kid's day, or anyone's day for that matter.

"It was you fault wasn't it." Mizuki stated like fact as he glared at Naruto. "Iruka probably found you in a few minutes and you obviously didn't want to return." The white haired man accused.

Naruto however was not about to take that standing down. The nerve of this man! If only Hiruzen had not warned him about using his new found skills prematurely then Mizuki would have already found himself 'conveniently' dropped on the wrong side of Wall Maria by now. As such however he settled on annoying the man further, petty revenge he knew, but he couldn't help it.

Crossing his own arms and glaring back to adopt a similar stance as the offending caretaker, the eleven year old answered with a little of his own venom.

"What's the matter? It was only you waiting anyway so it was no big deal. Come and say that to me when I'm a little older and I'm going to pulverize you, you white haired monkey!" He bit back. He didn't mention that he could probably beat the man into a pulp with the current skills he had… but then Hiruzen would beat him for that. He wasn't worth it.

Mizuki's mouth hung agape at the blatant disrespect that was being thrown his way, from an eleven year old no less! It was already a serious blow to his pride but he was insulted as well by that last comment. "Why you…" the venom in his voice was clear as day while he approached Naruto in a menacing manner, rolling up the sleeves on his arms. It was immature at best to lose his head over a child, but to hell with it. He would teach this brat a lesson.

"Now now Mizuki, calm down for a bit will you?" Iruka started as he halted the advance of the other man. "I'm sure Naruto didn't mean it, did you Naruto?"

"I sure as hell did!" Naruto shot back.

"Not helping Naruto." Iruka grumbled back as Mizuki's efforts of pushing him aside increased.

"Mizuki calm down! It's your fault in the first place for pinning the blame on him and what do you think you look like to everyone else around here? Trying to beat up a helpless child?" Iruka yelled at Mizuki's face, practically slapping the white haired man with his voice alone. He didn't really want to do this but he couldn't risk this scene getting even more out of hand. It wouldn't look good for the orphanage if a caretaker was beating a child in public.

Sure enough, when Mizuki took a look around, everyone was looking at him funny and his struggles against Iruka lessened considerably.

"Yeah! Leave me alone you child molester!" Naruto accused loudly causing disapproving glances to shoot Mizuki's way.

The white haired caretaker's eyes saw red as his drive to seriously harm the boy was reignited. Iruka groaned as he did his best to hold off the other grown man and Naruto, was relishing the pure verbal attack he had launched upon Mizuki.

But this moment would not last, for an enormous and unnatural flash of chaotic yellow lightning suddenly struck just outside the outer wall of Shiganshina.

Everything stilled. Every sound muted save for the wind as everyone stared in anticipation.

Then, out of nowhere, a massive hand grasped the top of the wall. A hand seemingly made of muscle alone, steam following its form. It was soon followed by the most grotesque and utterly enormous head that ominously peered up and over the sixty metre wall as if it was simply another playground obstacle.

Then, said sixty metre wall was suddenly blasted apart. And all hell broke loose.

* * *

 **And that's a wrap! Don't forget to leave a review!**


	2. Tears of the Fallen

**Welcome back everybody! I hope you enjoyed the previous chapter, introducing one of the main characters that needs a background in this world of Shingeki no Kyojin. This next chapter is officially Chapter 1 - Tears of the Fallen**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Then, said sixty metre wall was suddenly blasted apart. And all hell broke loose._

 **(A few minutes earlier)**

On the bank of the river in the middle of Shiganshina, three little children sat side by side contemplating their thoughts. If one were to look, the group each had striking differences both in looks and personalities. Such a mismatched group was also very hard to miss.

The only female in the group sat to the right. Her soft features inherited from an Asian descent along with the dark eyes and even darker jet black hair that she inherited from her mother. Even though her father had seemed ordinary inside the walls, the girl and her mother were set aside into a small group known as the Orientals. Her face was set stoically, almost devoid of emotion to those that did not know her well enough to differentiate her moods. This girl was the most physically capable and talented one in the trio. An ever-present trait of hers was the red scarf that she refused to be without, ever since receiving it the previous year.

To the left of the group was a small, fragile looking child that was evidently smaller than the other two and was often mistaken as a girl. Yet, the logic and sheer intellect possessed by this boy was far greater than the other two combined and was the reason they always trusted his decisions. His large blue eyes practically shone with whatever emotion the little one decided to express and a large bob of platinum blond hair sat comfortably upon his head.

In the middle of the group was dark brunette with startling green eyes that were filled with a sea of determination, yet he also the most stubborn of the group that rushed into any situation head first regardless of whether or not he was capable of handling it. This bull-headed stubbornness was both incredibly risky yet admirable all the same.

These three were Mikasa Ackerman, Armin Arlert and Eren Yeager. Right now however, none of them were smiling.

"Why were those three after you like that?" Eren growled angrily as he chucked a stone into the water. He was referring to an incident earlier where he and Mikasa had come rushing to Armin's aid after they had caught sight of three older boys practically pummeling their small friend.

The green eyed boy hated bullies. In a way they were like the titans outside the walls, terrifying the weak to keep them in place. Eren clenched the stone in his hand. Why did nobody else realize that all of humanity was just living like sheep inside a pen? Or like birds in a birdcage? Those bullies were no better, instead of uniting everyone for a common goal they were instead creating divisions among humans.

"Well, they were saying how they were content in sitting around within the walls when I told them that humanity had to go outside someday. That's when they hit me, calling me a heretic as well." Armin explained as he watched the water flowing in the river.

"What the hell!? They got angry just because you want to go outside!" Eren raged. That was another stupid notion that these people inside the walls possessed. Why would they want to stop going outside? Not only that, but they continually discouraged those who did? Eren really wished those boys hadn't run away, it would have been nice to teach them a lesson.

"Well, life's been very peaceful inside these walls for the past hundred years or so." Armin started to explain. "And people are very scared of letting 'them' in. That, and the King and the royal government declared any interest in the outside world as taboo long ago."

Eren scoffed. "That king is just a coward then."

At Eren's reply the blonde boy cupped a hand to his chin in thought. "Yes, you may be right… but is that the only reason?" he pondered out loud.

Eren grit his teeth again. "Why should he even care? It's our lives we risk so it's our own business."

At this Mikasa turned her head to face Eren and broke her silence. "I don't think so. You should just forget it. It's not happening."

Armin looked at Mikasa in confusion while the green eyed boy spun around to glare at her.

"Oh yeah Mikasa, why did you have to tell on me earlier!" Eren demanded. He wasn't angry, just irritated. Very irritated.

The black haired girl turned to face the river. "I never said I would cooperate in the first place."

The small blond then nudged his friend to try and divert his attention. "So Eren, how did it go?" He asked timidly.

Eren sighed as he dropped his head. "Well, they weren't exactly happy about it."

"I can imagine that." Armin replied.

Eren's head snapped up once again at the tone and looked at Armin with something akin to betrayal. "Oi, Are you against me too Armin!?"

Armin put up his arms in a gesture to calm down. "Well it's dangerous, but I understand what you are trying to do. But I'm really wondering why people believe that the walls will protect us forever if we stay within them. I mean, the walls haven't been broken in over a hundred years, but there's no guarantee that it won't happen today. But still…"

Armin was interrupted by a sudden yet powerful and resounding rumble that caused buildings everywhere to tremble. The loud sound had echoed every where loudly and shook the very ground they stood on.

The three bewildered children glanced at each other in surprise. "What was that?" Eren asked with wide eyes, seeking answers from his smarter companions. Eren never felt jealous of them, just that he needed them for a lot of things. This was one of them.

"Follow me, those people are pointing at something and we can't see what it is over these houses." Armin instructed as he took off towards the street.

Both Mikasa and Eren followed their friend unquestioningly as he led them towards the streets. They never doubted his reliability, hence why both were surprised when they saw him freeze upon reaching his destination.

"Armin what happened? What's… wrong…" Eren didn't need Armin to answer him. The massive hand that gripped the top of the wall was answer enough, followed by the most horrifying head that all of them would probably ever come across in their lives..

"N-no way." Eren stuttered as he stared at the sight. "T-that wall's sixty metres high! No titan should be that big!"

Just as the words were uttered, what wall there was in front of the Colossal Titan exploded inwards due to its brute force, showering the entirety of the Shiganshina district with oversized chunks of rock.

The shockwave alone completely demolished everything that happened to be within a few hundred metres from the point of impact, sending both houses and people flying sky high.

Still staring stupefied at the scene, Eren and Armin could do nothing other than watch. Always being the most alert of the three, Mikasa had already figured out the impending danger and proceeded to grab both boys by their shirt collars. She barely managed to haul them back into the alley to take cover, when a strong blast of air forcefully swept the other people off the street. The trio huddled together against the building in fear as deadly debris rained down mercilessly from the sky.

Once the chaos calmed down the three ten year olds ventured back out into the street to see a sight that was potentially even more terrifying than the giant head.

"H-he breached the wall! He let the titans in!" Armin yelled in horror as a wave of the most horribly disfigured creatures ever known to mankind began pouring in through the gaping hole in the wall. The small boy turned quickly as he prepared to run through to the back of Shiganshina, where the majority of the people were sure to be evacuating by now.

The blond had already broken into a run when he realized that his two friends weren't following him. Turning back, he noticed Eren staring off to a part of town that was relatively close to the wall with Mikasa looking at the green eyed boy questioningly. She obviously wasn't going anywhere without him.

"My house is over there. Mom, she's still in there." Eren said worriedly before rushing towards the wall.

Mikasa's eyes widened at the realization before taking off after Eren.

"Hey… guys…" Armin reached out a shaking hand after them, torn between his own safety and that of his friends. The blond then did what he always would do, choose the logical choice and escape with his life. He loved his friends, but they would make it back. He believed that much. However if he went with them, he might not make it back at all. He wasn't like them in that way. With that mindset Armin turned and rushed towards the ships.

Meanwhile Eren was rushing frantically towards his house, hoping for the best. Despite the fact that a large amount of debris had been kicked up, literally, he was hoping that his mother hadn't gotten hit and was on her way to the boats. She had to be!

Eren was running faster than he ever had before in his life and he barely noticed all the other houses and people that he passed, all crushed by some large rock. The green eyed boy tried to convince himself that his mother would be alright, once they turned the corner they would see their house like they always did, sitting tall and proud.

Behind him Mikasa was just as anxious as she charged after Eren. Unlike the green eyed boy however, she was more aware of the surrounding danger and was constantly keeping an eye out for any approaching titans. It wouldn't do if they were eaten or stepped on while on their way to Carla.

Eren was too focused on turning the corner that he didn't even notice the approaching golden blur until it had crashed into him. Both of them were sent tumbling to the ground from the force of the impact. The brown haired boy groaned in pain as he clutched his aching ribs, the violent roll on the ground had hurt a lot. Not only that, whatever had collided into him had been moving at quite a speed as well.

"Eren!" Mikasa cried out worriedly as she dropped down next to him to help him up.

"I'm fine Mikasa." Eren reassured her as he stood up shakily to see what had crashed into him.

It was another boy which Eren had seen from time to time around the orphanage that was near to their home. Eren recognized him immediately as the other boy's distinct features were unforgettable after all. "Naruto!" he called out.

"Eren?" the boy asked unsurely before his eyes widened and he turned towards the orphanage with a frightened visage. "The titans…" he whispered before he took off like a bullet towards the orphanage.

Looking after him Eren and Mikasa could see why he was in such a rush; half of the enormous five storey orphanage had been blown apart. But they couldn't understand why he would rush back there. All the children would have been evacuated by the caretakers by now. There was also the matter that the boy was incredibly fast, probably even more than double their top speed.

But they had no time to worry about such matters when their eyes caught sight of their own home next to the orphanage. The rock that seemed to have brutally taken out the orphanage building had practically flattened their house. But their eyes were riveted to the human body half buried under the collapsed building.

"Mom!" Eren yelled loudly as he rushed to her aid.

The fear that Eren felt now was greater than he had ever felt before. He may have no regard for his own safety but he simply couldn't trust other people to take care of themselves. And this was his mother, trapped under their house as titan upon titan came flooding in through the breach.

"Mikasa hurry and grab that side of the pillar! We have to lift this! Hurry!" Eren instructed desperately as he began to heave with all his might, Mikasa doing something similar.

The brown haired boy could feel the skin on his hands shredding under the strain he was putting on it, but the wooden pillar wouldn't even budge despite their efforts. "Come on, come on!" Eren yelled in exertion.

They paused in fear when a cacophony of inhuman roars sounded out from all around them and both children gazed up at the humongous heads that were visible above the rooftops of the other buildings.

"Mikasa, hurry!"

"I'm trying Eren!"

"The titans… they're in town aren't they?" Carla gasped in shocked realization. "Eren! Take Mikasa with you and run quick!" She ordered frantically.

"I want to run away already!" The green eyed boy admitted shamelessly. "But that's why you have to hurry up and come with us so we can go!" Eren cried out, tears already pouring down his face at the desperate situation.

"My legs have already been crushed beneath all this rubble, even if you got me out I can't run!" Carla argued back.

"Then I'll carry you!" Eren protested. "Mikasa hurry!"

Carla's head snapped to her son. "Eren! Why don't you ever listen to me!? You could at least obey my last wish!" She shouted in frustration. "Mikasa! Take Eren and run, please!" Carla pleaded desperately.

Mikasa on the other hand was absolutely torn; she didn't even know who to listen to anymore. She could understand what Eren was going through, but Carla was raising a very valid point.

Before any of them could reach a decision, they were silenced by slow and heavy footfalls that were drawing steadily nearer.

"No, no…" Carla whispered to herself in horror. "Mikasa take Eren and run now!"

Yet her words fell on deaf ears, for the children were too transfixed by the horrifying smile that occupied the approaching titan's face. It was one of the giants of the titan race, probably approaching fifteen metres in height.

"Help!" Eren yelled out beside all hope that someone would come to help them. He wasn't leaving without his mother. "Somebody please help us!" he yelled out again desperately as the smiling titan drew ever closer.

* * *

The very second the wall had been breached, Naruto had already been running. He didn't care about leaving Iruka behind, or Mizuki for that matter. He didn't even care if they found out his secret. This was a desperate time and with the wall breached it would take an idiot not to realize that the titans would start pouring in.

But he was no afraid. He wouldn't leave the old man alone. Hiruzen was far too important for him to lose. Yes, Hiruzen could use chakra like he could, and if he was any younger Naruto wouldn't even need to worry. But Hiruzen was already an old man who tired very easily and could hardly use anymore chakra due to his old age. Add that to the fact that Hiruzen had been training him earlier and that left one very exhausted and glaringly fragile old man, titan food to be exact. The orphanage was also far too close to the breach for his liking.

Naruto boosted chakra to his legs, unlike other training sessions he hadn't exhausted his chakra yet and still had plenty of it to use. He also didn't need to worry about anyone noticing his speed since the entire district stampeding in the opposite direction. Naruto debated whether taking to the rooftops would be a good idea but ultimately decided against it. It may have been faster but a child with his features jumping from rooftop to rooftop at breakneck speeds was bound to be remembered.

Using his honed reflexes Naruto shot through the crowd without so much as ruffling the clothes on anyone he passed. He had long since grown accustomed to dodging fast moving objects. For an old man Hiruzen sure threw rocks like they were bullets, even if the whiskered boy was sure that chakra had something to do with it. Speaking of the old man, the eleven year old was seriously hoping that Hiruzen hadn't been crushed by some of the debris he had seen flying earlier. Then again he shouldn't really be complaining about speed, he doubted anyone could beat the record time he was taking to dash through the streets of Shiganshina.

He was a little lost in thoughts again when he abruptly turned the last corner at full speed, using an arm to grip the wall and allowing his momentum to swing him around the corner and continue charging at high speed. It was only then that he noticed another obstacle a little too late and collided with it full force.

Whatever he hit was sent rolling away but at his speed, it was unavoidable that he was sent flying. His small body ended up smashing into one of the other buildings on the other side of the street. Luckily he still had had the presence of mind to coat his back with a thin layer of chakra to absorb most of the shock from the impact. He may have been seriously hurt otherwise.

The eleven year old then turned to notice what he had crashed into when it called out his name. Apparently it recognized him by name and not one of his detestable nicknames. That was new. Naruto raised an eyebrow as he stood, he could recognize that red scarf anywhere, it was the girl's signature. Said girl was tending to the fallen boy. So it was Mikasa then, and the boy he hit was, "Eren?" he asked unsurely.

He knew the Yeager boy of course, the son of the doctor that had practically healed the entirety of Shiganshina from something that had people dropping down deathly ill. For some reason only he and Hiruzen hadn't fallen ill, although Naruto had inkling as to why.

But Grisha Yeager was practically a hero within this district and Naruto had met Eren before. The brunette had assisted his father in curing the ill at the orphanage. Thus Naruto was a little worried that he had hurt the boy badly considering that Eren was clutching his ribs.

Then he suddenly remembered why he was running in the first place and turned his gaze back down the road to witness a partially destroyed orphanage. But he could also see the ominous heads of hungry titans slowly headed their way.

"The titans…"

Naruto couldn't keep his fear for the old man from showing on his face before he took off and headed straight towards the orphanage. He didn't care if the other two noticed his unnatural speed, the old man was his top priority and it was all he could think of as he rapidly closed the distance to the crushed orphanage.

He vaguely recognized the Yeager household as he passed it but he could worry about that later, the orphanage was practically falling in on itself even as he neared it and Hiruzen was probably still inside the crumbling building. Naruto was practically praying that the old man wasn't in the section of the orphanage that had been obliterated; there were enough bloodstains at what used to be the mess hall that morning and some of the bodies he passed were already unrecognizable.

"Old man!" Naruto cried out from the bottom of the stairs, rushing up them three at a time. The old man's room was on the fourth floor along with all the other caretakers and thankfully it was on the side of the orphanage not yet destroyed. But what if the old man hadn't been in his room? The whiskered boy refused to think that and instead gave silent thanks that everyone else at the orphanage seemed to have already evacuated. The place was clearly empty enough to reach that conclusion.

But did they take the old man with them? That was the million dollar question. One that was answered when his body slammed into another's on the third flight of stairs.

Naruto pushed his body of the others uttering a quick sorry when he realized just who he had collided into this time.

"Gramps you're alive!" The ten year old cried out loudly in surprise.

"The only thing that will end up killing these old bones of mine are you Naruto!" Hiruzen joked as the blond stood and lent a hand to help him up.

Naruto laughed sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. "Sorry old man."

Hiruzen then laughed before whacking Naruto on the head with his walking stick. "How many times have I told you not to call me that? Show some respect you little brat!"

Naruto was very relieved to see that the old man was still behaving like normal despite the circumstance, although Naruto could see the effort the man was making to simply go down the stairs. It worried him quite a bit considering the effort required to cross Shiganshina to the boats. Naruto then steeled his resolve; he would carry the old man if he had to.

"How are you holding up?" Naruto asked a little concerned.

Hiruzen gave a hearty laugh. "Just fine my boy!"

Both of them then froze when the sound of heavy footsteps slowly shook the unstable building, causing parts of the crumbling ceiling to cave in.

"I'll stay fine as long s this building doesn't collapse on us." Hiruzen joked as he searched around for an exit point, eyeing a certain hole in the side of the building. "Let's jump out that!" he suggested humorously to the gaping eleven year old.

"But we're almost four floors up!" Naruto protested.

Hiruzen waved him away. "Nonsense, we can apply chakra to soften our fall."

"But you haven't taught me that yet!"

"Well, no time to learn like the present!" Hiruzen joked as he grabbed Naruto and leapt out of the building. The eleven year old behind him screaming in slight panic and fun.

The whiskered boy barely managed to regain enough focus mid flight as they rapidly descended to the earth down below. The stone pavement had never looked so terrifying.

Okay, it was simple. Coat his legs in chakra. But how much chakra should he use? Too much and the ground would explode. Too little and he would break his legs. Oh well, better to be safe rather than sorry. And it wasn't like anyone would notice the hole in the pavement, what with the titans stomping all over the place.

Just as expected, the very second Naruto landed, the ground bulged for a slightly before deciding to give way to a small crater. Oh well, Naruto preferred the ground breaking rather than his legs at any point so nothing was lost.

Naruto didn't even see the walking stick before it connected with his head.

"Ouch! What was that for!?" Naruto demanded angrily as he held a hand to his head. That would surely form a bruise.

"You have no finesse at all." Hiruzen scolded lightly and pointed to the ground where he had landed, seemingly unaffected by the fall. Then he pointed at Naruto's crater. "Well done lad, you should get a job as a miner!" Hiruzen joked.

Any further conversation was abruptly halted as what was left of the orphanage finally gave way and collapsed in on itself. All the dust sent into the air then had both Naruto and Hiruzen coughing out their lungs.

"I think… I've had enough… smoke for the day…" Hiruzen coughed out.

Naruto wanted to curse at the old man so badly for making him laugh while coughing. That thing hurt. The eleven year old then realized his knees were shaking and stared at them quizzically. The impact with the ground hadn't hurt that much had it?

He was interrupted from inspecting his knees when Hiruzen tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Naruto, I think I found the reason our knees our shaking and it might be time to run." The old man advised in a near whisper.

Naruto obeyed and turned to see a sight that he would never forget. It may not be the largest he had seen so far since the one that caved in the wall was over four times as big, but this fifteen meter class was definitely more terrifying due to its proximity. He had seen the colossal titan from across Shiganshina but this one was barely a block away. Then there was that gruesome smile that was vividly etched on its face, taunting its victims before their death with its over sized rows of teeth. Its manic face was already splattered with blood, meaning it had already tasted human meat.

And it was hungry for more.

Naruto snatched Hiruzen's hand as he started running, already pumping chakra to his legs and arms, ready to bolt and carry the old man if he had to. He suddenly paused from his run when a desperate plea of help reached his ears.

"Help! Somebody please help us!"

Naturally the eleven year old could not avoid glancing to the side. His eyes widened when he caught sight of Eren and Mikasa crouched by the remains of what used to be their house.

The blond boy then focused in between the two and noticed that they were trying to lift a massive wooden pillar off of someone half buried under the house. Naruto instantly recognized Carla Yeager, Eren's mother, and he winced at the sight. That had to hurt. The whiskered boy glanced behind him and noticed the still grinning titan slowly making its way over to them. If it was going to keep coming at them at that sluggish pace they had some time.

Turning, he noticed that Hiruzen had also caught sight of the Yeager family's predicament and Naruto looked up hopefully, wondering what Hiruzen's decision would be.

"Let's go help them Naruto, they're never getting her out of there otherwise."

Without wasting anymore time, Naruto made his way over to Eren, crossing the street in seconds and prepared to leap over the rubble. He could probably lift that thing with Hiruzen's help. Naruto didn't need to look to know that Hiruzen was directly behind him.

Before they got there however a soldier hurtled past them, headed straight for the grinning titan. Carla apparently knew the man as she called out to him.

"Hannes! Take the kids and run!" they heard Carla call out.

"Don't think so poorly of me Carla!" Hannes replied as he bravely rushed past them. "It's time for me to repay my debt, and I shall do it by slaying this titan."

Naruto and Hiruzen both ignored him as the Garrison soldier shot past them. If that soldier could kill the titan then that was good, but if not then they at least had to get Carla out of there.

"Hey guys!" Naruto greeted as he crouched next to them.

"Naruto? What are you…" Eren started but didn't get to finish as Hiruzen dropped down next to blond boy.

"Move over kids, leave this to us." Hiruzen instructed with a commanding tone and for once, Eren felled complied to listen without asking anything. Nodding in satisfaction Hiruzen then turned to his charge.

"Naruto, take that side and help me lift on the count of three."

The whiskered boy nodded in affirmative, but before they could start they were startled by a loud voice.

"Naruto! Don't just bolt away like that! You could've given me a heart attack!" A very frantic Iruka scolded as he finally appeared next to them.

"Iruka stop blabbing and get ready to pull this old lady out on the count of three." Hiruzen interrupted.

Naruto tensed his muscles as he got into position and began to evenly distribute the chakra to all his limbs and back. They would need the extra power to lift.

At the count of three, four pairs of eyes widened as a small child and an old man effortlessly lifted the massive pillar. Carla, Eren, Mikasa and Iruka were all entranced by the show of strength.

"Iruka!" Hiruzen snapped.

"Sorry!" Iruka mumbled as he was brought back out of his daze and pulled out Carla from under the rubble. He tried to avoid looking at the mangled mess that her legs had become, should he risk throwing up.

"Mom!" Eren shouted in joy as he latched onto her. Behind them the pair of chakra users launched the pillar of wood at the approaching titan in an attempt to slow it down further. But the wood just snapped uselessly upon contact with the titan's body. The titan itself didn't even seem to register the pain as its vile grin had yet to falter. And it was already far too close to them being just a house away.

Hannes came rushing back in with an urgent look on his face. "I can't fight that! I'm sorry!" The soldier then looked to a struggling Iruka who was trying to carry Carla on his shoulders.

"Let me handle her," he said as he gently transferred Carla into his arms. "Now follow me, we have to run!"

With that said he took off with Mikasa and Eren following tightly at his heels, nothing keeping them back.

Iruka looked after them for a moment before he turned back to the pair behind him, only for a spear of fear to stab him through the heart. In the short while that his eyes had followed the fleeing group, that smiling titan had suddenly closed the distance between them in a burst of speed and was now gripping a struggling Hiruzen in its hand as Naruto backed away in fear.

The scar faced man then heard Carla scream from somewhere distantly behind him, no doubt viewing the same terrible scene that he was. Iruka however was dumbstruck even as Naruto appeared beside him and began to pull him away.

"Come on Iruka! We need to go! The old man's going to be okay!" Naruto yelled as he began using enhanced strength to drag the orphanage caretaker along with him.

Iruka reacted and wrenched his arm out of Naruto's grip. If Hiruzen was going to be eaten Iruka at least wanted someone to witness the death so that it would not be meaningless! The kind old man he respected at least deserved that!

What the caretaker's eyes caught next however, shocked him to the core.

 **"Doton: Oukina Isha Shougeki!"** (Earth Release: Great Stone Impact) Hiruzen yelled some sort of gibberish to Iruka's ears. What language was that? And what was he doing with his hands?

He was answered a moment later when Hiruzen spat out an enormous rock from his mouth. The rock itself was on par in size with the titan's head and connected with resounding boom that destroyed the grinning titan's already disfigured face before beheading it completely. Then the smiling titan's wrecked head rammed itself through a nearby building, closely followed by the massive rock that Hiruzen had somehow spat out.

The force of the boulder also had the effect of outbalancing the gargantuan creature and sent it falling backwards towards the ground. Despite being beheaded however, it was obviously still alive as one of its arms started flailing wildly while the other one began crushing Hiruzen. The old man's face then contorted in pain and Iruka felt like crying out once again. The muscles on the titan's forearms bulged in effort as the menacing beast clenched its hand tightly, intending to crush the human within it.

Once again Iruka was surprised when all that remained crushed in the titan's immense grip was the powdery remains of crushed brickwork. Iruka didn't get to witness any more as he was then forced to shield his eyes and stand his ground. The smiling titan's body met the ground with punishing force, the blast of air and the shockwave itself both threatening to send him flying as the scar faced man faced the onslaught.

When he finally opened his eyes he witnessed Hiruzen seemingly walk right out of a human shaped hole in the sturdy wall of a nearby house. His eyes ran from Hiruzen back to the downed titan's hand in confusion. What was going on?

Meanwhile Naruto ran up to the man cheering loudly. "Way to go old man! That **Doton jutsu** (Earth technique) and the **Kawarimi** (Substitution) both showed that titan!"

Yet more words Iruka could not understand. Was this what Hiruzen was training Naruto in? The strange language and what looked like magic? What a secret indeed!"

Naruto's joy however was cut short when Hiruzen dropped to his knees and began coughing violently.

"Old man!" Naruto cried out as he dropped to his side.

"Naruto, I have to ask something of you. Please do not hate me for it." Hiruzen asked in between deep breaths.

"Anything old man! What should I do to help!?" Naruto asked hurriedly.

Hiruzen coughed again. "Accept this." The old man said mysteriously before moving at a speed that belied both his age and current condition. In that split second, the old man's hand had made its way to Naruto's forehead and slapped a square shaped piece of paper, with what looked like weird scribbles, onto Naruto's forehead.

Iruka didn't think that it was a good thing based on Naruto's reaction. The whiskered boy's eyes had widened considerably as he began testing something.

"My chakra… You sealed it off!" Naruto accused as tears came to the boy's cerulean eyes. "What are you planning!?"

Iruka had no idea what they were talking about but he was more concerned about the fallen titan. Its head had already partially formed back, steaming as it regenerated at an alarming rate. The manic grin it always seemed to wear had already been formed.

"I'm an old man already Naruto. And with all I've already done today I'm exhausted and I'm afraid I can't go much further." Hiruzen explained as he stood up to his full height once again. Naruto had never seen him look as old as he did now. "That means I can't run to the evacuation ships anymore, my time ends here Naruto and its time that you went on without me."

Tears were now flowing down the blond boy's whiskered cheeks as he gazed up at the old man in shock. "Is this your way of saying goodbye?" Naruto asked softly.

Hiruzen nodded slowly before walking forward to embrace the boy. "I'm sorry Naruto, but I'm tired now. I'm an old man and I've lived my life already, but you're still so young and full of life that you have yet to live. But of course, I still have a parting gift for you."

Naruto looked up expectantly as Hiruzen reached within his robes and pulled out what looked to be a scroll. "I have taught you the art of unsealing and resealing objects into scrolls already, right Naruto?" Hiruzen asked as he handed the boy the scroll. At the blond boy's nod Hiruzen continued. "Inside this sealing scroll is a multitude of other scrolls that all have importance in something that I would have liked to teach you myself. Practice them in private won't you? A shinobi will always have his secrets and should be shrouded in mystery, remember that."

"Deception is a shinobi's key to survival." Naruto recited from memory.

"Good." Hiruzen gave him a sad smile as he ruffled the whiskered boy's hair. "But I have to tell you now as well, find a purpose to live my boy. Find someone to protect. Because only when you protect something can you unleash your inner potential to the fullest. Now go live life to the fullest, I don't want to meet you in the afterlife anytime soon." Hiruzen joked.

Naruto stuffed the scroll within a pocket on his cargo shorts before looking up to the old man. "I promise to do just that gramps. And I never break my promises." Naruto's dark blue eyes shone with emotion as he said that.

"Don't forget to look underneath the underneath either. It is something you should learn to do, always." Hiruzen added after a little bit of thought.

"Sir." Iruka interrupted. "I can't help but notice that you intend to stay behind. What do you want me to do, sir?"

Hiruzen smiled. "Take care of this little rascal here for me won't you, and make sure to take him away from here quickly. That tag I placed on his forehead will last for a few hours and in that time he shouldn't manage to cause you any trouble."

Iruka bowed respectfully, turning back to the titan's now fully regenerated head. The grinning beast already had its large, greedy eyes settled on them as it struggled to stand.

"Go now!" Hiruzen ordered. "Exhausted as I am I should still be able to buy you both enough time to get away." The old man added. "Goodbye, Naruto. And know that I am happy to die, as long as you get to live."

"See you gramps." Naruto replied as he gave the old man one last hug, squeezing just a little for good measure.

Without further words, Iruka hoisted Naruto over his shoulder like a potato sack and took of running. The boy would probably stay put with his grandfather figure otherwise.

By now the grinning titan was already back on both of its feet, fully regenerated and was making its way towards Hiruzen.

With the way that Iruka was running, the scar faced man was thankfully free from the horrifying view. But with the way that Naruto was slung over his shoulder, the golden haired boy could only watch events as they played out, helpless in Iruka's arms without his chakra.

Hiruzen temporarily ignored the threat behind him to cup his hands to his mouth and shout out after Naruto. "From here on out, I give you a family name. I'm proud to have known you, Uzumaki Naruto!"

Naruto's eyes widened exponentially for joy at the statement. Below him however, Iruka was busy wondering why the family name was in front of the given name. He would never understand these two completely.

Hiruzen then turned around to face the grinning titan as soon as he gave Naruto his last parting gift. "Oh well buddy, it's just you and me here now." He addressed the titan in a resigned fashion as it grinned back.

The aging man then ran through a set of hand seals. **"Katon: Goukakyou!"** (Fire Release: Grand Fireball)

Naruto practically gave out a cheer when a massive torrent of searing hot flames spewed forth from Hiruzen's mouth, engulfing the smiling titan entirely from head to toe as it released a pained roar.

The whiskered boy's amazement died when Hiruzen finally collapsed to the ground coughing up even more blood. The steaming titan then angrily burst forth from the smoke, its charred flesh rapidly healing as the majestic fire died down.

'He's out of chakra!' Naruto realized immediately once he saw Hiruzen go down. That's why he decided to stay.

He watched in horror as the hideous grin of the titan seemed to grow in satisfaction as it plucked the old man from the ground like a lifeless doll. The pit that had formed in the golden haired boy's stomach seemed to deepen at the sight as the creature from nightmares raised one of the only people Naruto ever had in his life into its grotesque mouth that had opened to unnatural proportions.

"No…" Naruto whispered helplessly. "Stop it! NOOO!"

Just as the titan shoved Hiruzen into its mouth, Naruto shut his eyes tightly unashamed of the tears that were freely flowing.

He never saw the titan's powerful jaws snap shut. Therefore, he never saw the man he loved so much disappear in a puff of smoke.

Naruto only heard the confused titan's terrifying roar in what he assumed to be victory. Never did he even realize that he had misinterpreted its roar of confusion and frustration at losing its food.

* * *

"Hannes, put me down." Carla requested gently.

"What? But we're still in Shiganshina." Hannes asked confused. "And we're almost to the boats." The soldier added as he slowed. Even if he was against it, he complied anyway, out of respect for the woman's wishes.

Her request had also gathered the children's attention as they flocked to her worriedly.

"What's wrong mom?" Eren asked before he noticed something that had his mouth hanging agape. "Mom what's wrong!? You're really pale!"

Hannes halted suddenly. Looking around he decided to head to a nearby building before gently settling Carla down next to it. Thankfully the area around them was clear of both people and titans at the moment. The Garrison soldier however, could not help but notice the resigned looking smile on the woman's face as he set her down. He already didn't like where this was going. That smile was only worn by people who had accepted that they were going to die.

"Hannes! What happened? What's wrong with mom? We still need to go!" Eren urged as the man sighed and pointed at the boy's mother.

"I believe that she must explain it to you herself." Hannes replied as he gestured towards the resting woman before he took a step back to allow the family some space.

"Eren! Calm down, please." Carla pleaded weakly from her spot on the ground.

For once in his life, Eren complied without resistance as he crouched down next to his mother with Mikasa doing the same thing opposite him.

The woman then smiled at the sight as she reached up with her arms to grab both Mikasa's and Eren's heads to her chest. "I know you both know what's happening. Grisha was a doctor after all and he explained this enough. I've already lost enough blood from my legs and I feel my head hurting. We've also got no way to stop the blood, so getting me onto those boats is useless." She explained grimly as she hugged them tightly.

By now both children were sobbing into her chest as they wrapped their own arms around the dying woman. Eren wasn't resisting or arguing, stubborn as he was he wanted to at least have a good memory of his mother before she left his life. He didn't want her to go but there was nothing he could do for her now.

For Mikasa this was the second time that she was losing a mother. It wasn't peaceful either like the deaths old people had.

"This is goodbye children, but first I want you to promise me that you will take care of each other through anything that comes your way. Eren, watch over Mikasa and keep her safe and satisfied like any other gentleman. Mikasa, you make sure that my son's recklessness does not get him killed early alright?"

The two children nodded, needing to say nothing more. Relishing what warmth they could still obtain from their mother's dying body.

Carla's mind however was still churning. She had seen the old orphanage owner, Hiruzen, perform something absolutely amazing earlier against the titan. She had never seen anything like it before. She also knew how much time Hiruzen had spent with that strange orphan, Naruto. If Hiruzen had been capable of such feats then there was a small chance that Naruto was also capable of feats such as those. Naruto had also helped them earlier in their dire situation so she strongly believed that she could leave her children in his care. Hiruzen was also a friendly and responsible man, if any of those traits had been passed down to the child then he would make a great role model and protector.

If possible she hoped Hiruzen was well enough too, at least there would be a responsible adult. Hannes couldn't always be there for the children. If only she had some way to get into contact with the boy.

She didn't have to wait for long. After around half a minute of a comforting embrace with the two kids, she noticed the orphanage caretaker from earlier darting around a corner with what looked like a limp child slung over his shoulders. Hiruzen however, was nowhere in sight. Nobody needed to ask what had happened to the old man due to the sorrowful expression Naruto wore on his face.

Iruka slowed down as he approached the group, wondering why they had stopped. They should have made their way to the boats with Hannes there.

"Naruto? May I speak with you… for a moment?" Carla asked weakly, just as Iruka stopped near them.

The golden haired boy's head lifted slightly before he shifted off of Iruka's back and turned to face Eren's mother, wiping his tears off using his arm. He was startled a little when he took in her horrific state before sudden realization struck him. She was dying. Just like his old man had. He crouched down in front of her as she stared back up at him, taking in his face.

"Thank you."

The words uttered next from her mouth confused Naruto greatly, something which he voiced. "For what?"

Carla smiled at the oblivious boy again. She seemed to be smiling a lot recently despite the circumstances. "For going out of your way to help us and for giving me enough time to say a proper goodbye. Thank you, Naruto." She knew his name of course, the resident outcast at the orphanage. She had tried to approach him before a couple of times, but he had always been busy with the old man.

Naruto nodded grimly as he accepted the praise.

"But if you wouldn't mind considering a dying woman's last wishes, can I ask you one favour?"

The whiskered boy had no idea where she was going with this, but he listened anyway. He didn't have it in him to just turn away. He motioned for her to continue, pushing thoughts of Hiruzen to the back of his mind. He could mourn later.

Carla eyed him gratefully. "Can I ask you to take care of my children after I'm gone? To act as their big brother and keep them safe as well as care for them?"

Everyone was shocked at the bomb Carla had dropped and all eyes snapped to her. Naruto in particular had no idea what was going on. Of all the things he was expecting, this wasn't a part of it. He didn't think he was ready for such a responsibility.

"Why me? I mean I'm just another little kid like they are!" he protested loudly, clearly against the proposal.

"Because I think you would make a great brother to them if you were a part of our family." Carla reasoned, "And because I know that if you want to protect them, then you will do so with all your heart." Carla added in a tone that suggested she knew every bit of what she was talking about.

And Naruto knew that she did. Hiruzen's words came back to hit him full force. _'Find someone to protect.'_ Well in this case there was going to be more than one person but he didn't mind. The basic concept was still there anyway. He had always wished that he was adopted, even though he had Hiruzen with him it did get lonely every once in a while. It was too bad that the mother of this family was on the verge of death and could not officially adopt him, but it was a foster family all the same.

"I promise then mother, I will take care of my little brother and sister for as long as I can."

Carla then grabbed all three of the children in front of her with the last of their strength to grab all three children in one last hug. "Thank you all, for being part of this family. I love you all so much." She whispered as she hugged them tighter yet. "And someone please tell Grisha that I'm sorry I wasn't able to see him one last time and that I love him as well. Goodbye, Naruto, Mikasa, Eren…"

And just like that, the last bits of life left the dying woman as her arms went limp and her eyes closed. Naruto looked up and knew that the woman had at least died a peaceful death with her loved ones and smiled. Despite Hiruzen's situation, he was sure the old man had also died with a smile on his face at being able to protect him. But now he had to make sure that his two foster siblings made it onto those boats. It was part of his new responsibility.

"Come on now." Naruto said gently as he pried both children from Carla's body. "It would be useless if we didn't make it to the boats now with so many people dying on us." An image of Hiruzen flashed through his sight.

The green eyed boy and the black eyed girl both looked up into Naruto's reassuring cerulean blue orbs and decided to put their trust in him. Carla knew what she was doing, even if they didn't.

Naruto watched as they both accepted his hands and he pulled them to their feet. But then he looked at Carla's body questioningly, where they just going to leave it here? He didn't think Mikasa or Eren were following his train or thought on the matter. Then again he also didn't think that they would like to leave their mother's body here as titan food.

Iruka hoisted Mikasa under his arm and Eren over his shoulder. "This will get us there faster, these kids look spent already." Iruka explained. The two children he had lifted just hung limply in his arms, accepting the fact. "Just catch up Naruto." Iruka added before taking off once again towards the boats.

Naruto barely registered his own return nod as he pondered about the fate of Carla's body. Maybe he could dig a shallow grave? But with his chakra inaccessible to him he couldn't do that, the titans would get here before he could finish. There weren't any tools lying around either, what was he going to dig with? His bare hands?

In his focus he had forgotten about the soldier that had stayed behind to watch over him and thus the golden haired boy jumped when said man laid a hand on his shoulder. If Naruto hadn't recognized the man at the last instant, Hannes probably would have suffered a painful shot to the jaw by now.

Naruto scowled at himself. He really needed to work on being alert.

"I'll deal with the body. I'll bury her just outside Shiganshina so that these overgrown lumps of flesh don't get to her. Go ahead and get to the boats already and watch over those kids." Hannes offered as he bent down to pick up the still body.

"What about you?" Naruto asked curiously. Wasn't Hannes going to run with him?

The soldier laughed as he tapped the gear around his hips. "This here is the three dimensional manoeuvre gear lad." Hannes explained. "Watch."

That was the last thing Naruto heard before cables shot out of the strange mechanism and buried themselves high into a distant building. Naruto then watched in fascination as the cables retracted and Hannes launched into the air. That was a very useful tool.

A titan's loud roar from nearby reminded him of where he was currently and he took off running after Iruka. His chakra may have been sealed off but he was still fast for his age. His stomach then grumbled in protest and Naruto remembered that he still hadn't eaten for the day and snatched some still warm bread from a bakery stand as he ran. Nobody would really notice anyway and he was absolutely famished.

* * *

Eren was confused. He didn't fully have a grasp of what was going on anymore. The wall had fallen. The titans had returned. His family had already lost a member. It was all almost too much for him to take in. To think that just earlier this morning he had woken up to an ever so normal day. All it had taken to change everything was a single moment and even Eren could see the severe consequences.

Humanity was going to suffer. If a titan as big as that Colossus existed, who could say there were no more of that size? And what was stopping them from tearing down the other walls? Not that they were needed since this one Colossus alone was already capable of single-handedly smashing down every single wall it came across.

He looked around him on the boat that Iruka had managed to get both him and Mikasa on. It was in fact the very last boat of refugees and it was simply a miracle that they had all managed to fit in. Iruka had used his status from the orphanage and was barely able to get the three of them aboard. A mere ten seconds later the soldiers on the boat had pulled up the wooden platform needed to cross onto the wooden boat.

Mikasa was sitting silently beside him staring into space, no doubt thinking about their mother. Next to her sat an exhausted Iruka, Eren wasn't certain but he was sure that Iruka hadn't stopped running ever since they met the scar faced man earlier. He would have to thank him later. On his other side sat a terrified Armin, huddled next to his grandfather in fear. Eren couldn't blame his friend, the green eyed boy was terrified as well, that was for sure. Even Mikasa herself did not seem to be devoid of fear. Among them probably only Naruto and that old orphanage man hadn't seemed afraid.

Wait.

Eren glanced around him urgently, disturbing both Armin and Mikasa in the crowded boat that had already begun moving down the river. This was the final boat. If Naruto missed this…

"Where's Naruto?" Eren asked, panicking as he jumped to his feet. They had just gotten their big brother and they didn't want to lose him.

Mikasa shot upright as well, her eyes eagerly scanning the crowd of desperate people lining the banks of the river. This was the last boat and there was no more space. Yet there were those desperate enough to attempt to leap onboard, mostly failing and falling to the river below.

Armin had no idea what had gotten into the other two or who Naruto was but the small boy doubted he would be of much use to his best friends in this situation. The blond didn't even know what this Naruto looked like. So he settled for simply hugging his knees harder as he remained seated next to his grandfather.

Both foster siblings carefully filtered the crowd, trying to spot the unmistakable golden hair that the new addition to their family possessed. It was probably hopeless, they knew, but they weren't going to give up. Why would they? Iruka on the other hand didn't appear worried at all. The scar faced man did not even make the effort of standing up, even when Mikasa shot him a dark look.

The scar faced orphanage caretaker raised a questioning eyebrow at the glare of the little girl. "Don't worry yourself kids. That boy's going to get here somehow. And if he doesn't then I'm sure he'll just find a horse or something." He reassured them as best he could.

"How can you say that so calmly!" Eren demanded as he too shot the exhausted man a glare.

Iruka sighed. "I've known that kid for years now. Trust me, that fool is too stubborn to die here."

Eren was about to shout back when Mikasa interrupted as she pointed towards the crowd. "There he is!"

Sure enough, despite his short stature Naruto was easily visible. The golden haired boy was quickly making his way to the boat, darting in and out between human obstacles like they weren't there at all. Mikasa eyed her new brother appreciatively, wanting to praise that skill. And he was fast. She now understood why Eren had been clutching his ribs earlier if he had collided against that. Eren seemed to realize as well when he raised a hand to nurse his ribs. The pain hadn't fully receded yet.

They watched him carefully as he began running alongside the boat, unwavering focus on getting through the crowd.

"What's he doing?" Eren questioned. Even if the golden haired boy was capable of catching up to the boat, that didn't exactly mean he was safe.

"He's going to jump." Mikasa stated matter of factly.

Eren whirled at her in worry.

"What?" he yelled. "That's suicide!" The green eyed boy turned back to the bank to prove his point as dozens of older males attempted what Naruto was about to undergo, all of them missing the boat by a good metre or two.

But before anything else could happen, the boy they were both watching suddenly broke from the flow and leapt spectacularly, making it further than any before him as his hands grasped the edge of the boat's rails.

* * *

Naruto was cursing to himself. He should have just left Carla's body to Hannes instead of following the soldier around wanting to know where she was going to get buried despite the soldier's protests. In the end the whiskered boy gave up the chase and headed for the boats. Hannes was fast on his gear and without his chakra Naruto didn't stand a chance.

He was regretting that decision even more now that he could see the last boat leaving. He rapidly scanned the boat's occupants and was immensely relieved to already notice a bright red scarf among them. He really didn't want to break his promise to his mother, albeit a short-lived one. At least it saved him the time of searching through the crowd for them. That wouldn't have been efficient.

 _Always look for the most efficient way to accomplish a task. One way that produced the most results or consequences and the least risk with minimum effort._

Hiruzen's words rang in his head yet again as he began running. But now he had to get onto that boat that was already moving downstream towards wall rose. It was to be a tricky feat without his chakra, but still manageable. His body had been trained more than enough by Hiruzen already at this point and he was capable of making the jump, if only he had enough speed. He cast his eyes across the crowd frowning a little. Oh well, add a little more challenge to life. He began running straight, drowning out all the surrounding noise. They were only distractions. But just because he had drowned the noise out didn't mean that he wasn't alert to them. They were just subdued.

Naruto began taking all of Hiruzen's teachings to heart. They were incredibly useful in real life, it seemed. And there was so much more left to teach. The thought sent a pang through the eleven year old heart, the scroll in his pocket suddenly seemed to become so much heavier. His features then settled into grim determination. He would make sure learn them everything from that scroll all while protecting his brother and sister.

Judging the distance to the boat as he ran parallel to it, the whiskered boy estimated that he would make a leap when he was a little bit closer to the boat's halfway point. There was no use making a successful jump only to end up falling into the river behind the boat.

 _Always give a margin of error._

Naruto nodded before steadily gaining ground on the boat's speed while moving closer and closer to the bank all the while. Once Naruto hit his mark he found grip on the edge of the bank and leapt with all his might, making sure to use his entire body as a spring and not only his legs. Despite the failures of even grown men all around him, the whiskered boy's fingers made contact with the railing of the ship, his body slamming painfully against the wooden side. He should have anticipated that.

Now that he had purchase on the ship's railing, it was easy enough to haul himself up and over the wooden railing, catching sight of Eren and Mikasa's relieved smiles. Naruto then found himself frowning when his view of his siblings was suddenly blocked by a man that had leapt onto his feet, towering over Naruto with a vicious look in his eyes.

"There's no more space on this boat boy!" The large man declared before moving to shove Naruto back of board.

"Oi!" Eren yelled as he tried to make his way to his brother. Unfortunately, it was clear that he wouldn't get there in time, just like they hadn't got to his mother in time.

Naruto took notice of Eren's worry but didn't bother with it. _Focus._ The one thing Hiruzen was always trying to beat into him. And Naruto was sure that the large man intent on shoving him overboard took priority. It was too bad the man didn't know who he was messing with. Naruto didn't need his chakra to fight civilians. Even in such a short space of time Naruto had already managed to take in everything about the man's stance.

From Naruto's brief evaluation, everything about the larger man screamed overconfidence. And it was one of the things that no decent fighter should ever have. _There was always someone stronger than you._ What wise words indeed.

And the older man had made one crucial mistake. He had used his entire body to try and shove Naruto overboard, unaware of the unnecessary momentum he was generating. It was almost child's play for the golden haired boy; ducking successfully under the out stretched arms and snatching the larger man's shirt. The whiskered boy grinned before pulling hard to add to the man's momentum. The next thing the man knew, he was already tumbling overboard and well on his way to the water down below.

For the eleven year old it was refreshing to have a victory, taking in the man's shocked gasps as he fell over the railing. The sound of a loud splash was icing on the cake. There was no more hope for that man to get back onto the boat, let alone catch up to it. His life was forfeit the second he fell over the railing.

"Brother!" Another man, of similar build to the previous one, bellowed in outrage as he too shot to his feet. The new man swung a giant fist intent on punishing the small boy. "You're going to pay!"

Naruto sighed. Hiruzen had always warned him about telegraphing his next move to the enemy and he had never really understood that concept until just now. Was this how pitiful Hiruzen had seen him while training? He really hoped not. Naruto also wondered whether this man knew he was overstretching his punch similar to his brother.

The golden haired boy raised a hand to grab the larger man's punch and adjusted his stance to pull the grown man towards him while simultaneously sidestepping to effectively throw the man over the rail. Timing it just right, he outstretched a leg to trip the man over the railing after his brother, the second splash sounding just as satisfying as the first.

"Anyone else?" Naruto challenged, ignored by most on the boat out of their fear of the titans. But those that had witnessed the spectacle either bowed their heads or shuffled away from him.

The whiskered boy knew the dangers of such a challenge, but this way the threat would carry across and no one else would mess with him. Grunting in satisfaction he made his way towards his wide eyed foster siblings with a resigned looking Iruka. "Hey guys, how's it going?" He greeted as he approached them.

Eren seemed to forget for a moment where they were as he looked at Naruto with respect. "That was awesome! I didn't know you could do that!" the brown eyed boy whispered enthusiastically.

Naruto shrugged in response, yet the grin stayed on his whiskered face.

"I'm glad you're safe." Mikasa greeted from behind her scarf. She never was very good at expressing herself so it gave her some relief that Naruto nodded back. "But did you have to toss them off? They're likely to become titan food now."

The whiskered boy looked to be in thought for a moment. "They should have thought of that before they attacked me, and I think I like my safety more than I do theirs. Besides, those two would have just caused trouble within the next wall with attitudes like that. This world is a better place without them." Naruto explained.

A shinobi sought for the safety of themselves and those they protected, everyone else was either neutral or considered a threat. The blond boy was sincerely wondering why there were no other shinobi within the walls, but what if they managed to survive outside? Naruto banished those thoughts. He would worry about that when he was stronger.

Mikasa nodded in satisfaction, his reasoning was acceptable afterall.

"Naruto, Naruto, still causing trouble no matter where you go."

"What happened to you? Growing old?" Naruto teased when he spotted Iruka as the caretaker lay exhausted on the boat.

"I'm only twenty three brat, and don't make me laugh, it hurts." Iruka chuckled weakly, clutching his stomach. "You made me run to Shiganshina, through Shiganshina then back again while carrying kids. I'm human just so you know."

Naruto laughed as sat down next to his caretaker. "Yeah, well I am too, but you don't see me that tired!"

Iruka shot him a look. "You're not normal, in any way."

"Iruka, what laundry are you going to do now? I won that race?" The golden haired boy joked, changing the subject while he could. He didn't know how much his foster siblings had figured out yet and he would tell them when he felt they were ready.

It didn't take very long before Eren plopped himself down next to Naruto, happy to have an elder brother for once as Mikasa took her place in between the green eyed boy and Armin.

While the others conversed however, Armin was eyeing Naruto suspiciously. He did not know who Naruto was at this point and was a little hurt that Mikasa and Eren might be keeping something from him. Or maybe Eren just forgot to mention it and Mikasa hadn't bothered. But either way, he was wary of the new kid, not jealous like most other kids tended to be. Armin had seen the jump that Naruto had made onto the boat earlier and how easily he had dispatched the two grown men that had attacked him.

This was no normal boy. And Armin wasn't sure what his intentions were. Wildcards were an unknown. And any logical person feared the unknown for it could either bring aid or danger. There was also the fact that he was wished he knew more about the situation and whether he should treat Naruto as a valuable ally or try to find someway to separate his two friends from this variable.

"Armin, you're thinking too hard again." Mikasa said softly as she tapped him on the head.

"S-sorry Mikasa. It's just that I don't know what to think of…"

"It's okay Armin. It's good that you're suspicious. But I think that you should know, Carla adopted him just before she died." She let Armin's eyes widen disbelievingly for a moment.

"But first he and another old man had helped us get Carla out from under debris that Eren and I could not lift. Then they bought us enough time to run away and say a proper goodbye to Carla. Unfortunately the old man earlier died because of distracting a titan. Although he's not showing it, Naruto is grieving for him as we are for Carla. He promised her to protect us, so don't be afraid of him Armin."

The blond boy looked to the girl next to him then back at the newcomer. If that was true then he'd been afraid for nothing. Mikasa and Eren could benefit from his skills and abilities, but where would that leave him? He had always been protected by Mikasa and Eren and he didn't know where he would be without them. Would Naruto approve of him?

Both children's head snapped up when they heard Eren speaking.

"Oi Naruto, this over here is Armin just so you know. We protect him from others but he's smart as can be! He's like our little brother!"

Armin felt like he wanted to shrink in on himself as the older boy turned his gaze upon him. Those dark blue cerulean eyes of his searching, analyzing, judging. The whiskered boy's face was blank as he studied him and Armin found himself almost caving in under the intense pressure of the scrutiny.

Naruto studied the new boy carefully. He hadn't been around the other children long enough to know who this boy was but if he had heard correctly, Eren was indirectly asking Naruto to take care of Armin as well. He was unsure how he felt about it at the moment, but he understood once he set eyes on said boy. He was frail and terrified and was much smaller than all of them. He had promised to protect his new brother and sister and he couldn't really do that if they got hurt protecting this other boy. So he gave the boy a smile.

Eren sighed happily at the approval displayed on Naruto's face while Mikasa's face brightened up, even if it was barely noticeable. But Armin was the happiest of them all. Here was a person undoubtedly stronger than both Mikasa and Eren, strong enough that even stubborn Eren had acknowledged it. And that person had welcomed him and passed on approval, it was relief beyond his wildest dreams that he was still being noticed. That smile was both reassuring and invigorating. Armin would make sure not to let him down.

Iruka smiled as Naruto settled in. He had inkling as to why Carla had adopted Naruto, though unofficially. He was sure that she had seen Hiruzen fight, and she wanted her children safe. But Iruka wondered if she really was just being selfish, she had seemed a pleasant enough woman after all. Then again, his little friend had gotten himself a family now. He hadn't told Naruto yet, but the reason he was so kind to the boy was because he himself had been a lonely street orphan until Hiruzen had found him earlier on in his life, still setting up the new orphanage. Hiruzen had given him a home and as he grew, he grew to love that home as well. So he knew very well what Naruto felt, and he wanted to do his best to make sure Naruto was happy. He owed that much to Hiruzen.

"So Armin, what do you want to do for the future?" Naruto asked.

The question served two purposes. One to satisfy his curiosity and the other to get Armin's mind off the horrors that were happening to the district they had lived in until just recently. The golden haired boy didn't miss the way Armin's eyes lit up as the young boy launched himself into a very detailed lecture of the world outside the walls and what he dreamt to see. Naruto smiled understandably, what a dream indeed. It was incredibly dangerous though. The lands out there were titan infested and he wasn't sure if there still was any human life outside, if that was even remotely possible.

Naruto decided then and there that his training to master what was left to him was incredibly important. If Armin was going outside those walls then Eren and Mikasa were sure to follow. And wherever the trio went, he would go alongside them. He needed to make sure that they were safe out there.

"What about you Mikasa?" Naruto asked as he then turned to the girl with the red scarf.

He took in how her face seemed to sink deeper within the scarf. "I'll go wherever Eren goes."

Naruto should have figured as much by now. At least he wouldn't have to keep a constant watch over Eren. As always she was always straight to the point. There might also be some history here that he would need to update himself on.

He widened his eyes when he looked at Eren though. The brown haired boy's green eyes had narrowed dangerously even as he sat next to them.

"I'll train. Then I'm going to join the scouting legion to see the world outside the walls. But first are the titans!" Eren yelled as he stared into space, his eyes replaying the helplessness of his mother underneath the boulder. Eren knew he wasn't good at much, but if he was good at one thing then that was anger. It seemed to be able to push him past his limits and give him strength. And he was giving in to the rage.

"I swear I'm going to kill those titans! I'm going to kill every last one of them!" he shouted out to the heavens, letting his frustrations be known as he stood tall.

Naruto scoffed from where he sat. "No, you're not. Moron."

Eren's rage immediately found another target as the green eyed boy glared at the older one. "And why is that!?"

Naruto laughed. "Do you really think that Mikasa and I would let you go out there alone? You'd be dead after the first titan you meet at this rate. And if we're there with you, how the hell can you say you killed all the titans?" Naruto challenged with a smile as Eren sat back down sheepishly.

"Don't forget there's an entire scouting legion out there as well." Armin added cheekily.

"Alright alright!" Eren sighed as a smile worked its way onto his face.

"Guys, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly are the recon corps?" Naruto asked innocently after a minute. He hadn't really bothered with trying to learn anything else at the orphanage.

Armin and Mikasa turned to face him surprised but Eren's look of total blasphemy had Naruto feeling extremely stupid. Apparently he had asked a question that should have been common knowledge.

"Are you kidding? They're the bravest men and women in the kingdom! They're the only ones fighting for humanity's freedom by going outside the walls and slaying titans!" Eren spoke with such a passion that it was very similar to Armin's. Wow. This kid surely hated the titans. Naruto supposed that maybe he should too. But the old man probably would whack him on the head for thinking hateful thoughts.

"That's probably why Mikasa doesn't want you to go." Armin suggested. "It's dangerous."

Eren brushed it off. "I don't care. I'm joining the survey corps, scouting legion or whatever else you want to call them."

Naruto sighed. If Eren was half as stubborn as Naruto himself could be then that meant that his little brother was probably going to end up at the survey corps at some point. Then Mikasa would follow. Armin would follow. And he would tag along as well.

"I'm going to enlist once I'm thirteen." Eren announced excitedly. "Then after four years we can graduate and join the survey corps!"

Naruto was actually surprised. The little brother he had recently obtained was as reckless as they came. Long term planning already, that was something not often seen in a kid. But Eren had missed one crucial factor. They had to survive till thirteen while he himself would be fourteen, before being able to enlist. What were they going to do till then? Naruto guessed it would be up to him to take care of that since Mikasa would probably leave it to him anyway. Looking a little past the two Naruto caught sight of Armin once again and the two blonds shared a look.

That was much better and very relieving. Armin actually seemed much more useful to Naruto if their trains of thought had just traveled down similar lines. At least he could rely on one of the others to think wisely. Mikasa may be level headed and smart, but the girl was not wise enough to think through all possible solutions and scenarios. Eren would probably run off somewhere to get himself killed without these two.

Naruto then decided to finally rest for the day as the sun finally seemed to dip below the horizon. What a long and taxing day it had been. As it was, Iruka was already in a deep sleep.

Suddenly a guttural roar managed to make itself heard over the cannon fire and everyone on the stilled. The sound of cannons firing seemed to increase rapidly as cannons were hastily fired in the distance. From where they were, the children could already see the massive gate dropping shut.

"What is going on? Its chaos over there and some people are still behind the wall!" Eren pointed out, even as Armin and Naruto studied it.

Before they could reach a conclusion, the gate seemed to explode into a shower of stone as a massive behemoth skidded to a stop. One very armoured behemoth that had decimated the massive inner gate all on its own. It roared once again in triumph, celebrating its feat as those not on a boat lost all hope for survival.

"We haven't only lost Shiganshina." Armin stated as he dropped his head. "Wall Maria had fallen."

Naruto switched his gaze from the overwhelming truth uttered by the blond boy back to the armoured beast that had wrecked the gate and ensured havoc among humanity. He was forced to agree with Armin as a grim expression settled onto his face. The titans were free to slaughter anyone beyond wall rose now, humanity would be forced to fall back another wall altogether.

This was the day. The fateful day where humanity remembered that they lived in fear of the titans.

* * *

 **And we're done! Now we see how Naruto ties in with these events and his relationship with the Shiganshina trio. The cover picture for this story was also finished earlier today. Let me know what you think? Is it suitable?**

 **See you next time! And don't forget to leave a review!**


	3. Family Life

**Welcome back everybody! Sorry for the slightly long wait, I got distracted by a few games, drawing some art and preparing to move countries. But I'm back for a while anyhow. There will be quite a few time skips in this chapter since it is merely a small filler. Bear with it please.**

 **Review Time:**

 **BlackScorpionxxx: Carla had to die due to titans. If she didn't die then Eren's rage against the titans will die down considerably. If she wasn't allowed onto the boats then Eren would get mad at the government, not the titans. If she died from lack of support within the walls then Eren wouldn't forgive himself and he may not have even joined the training corps just to take care of his mother. By the way I will try to balance out Naruto and Eren later on, but early in this story Naruto requires more screen time to show how he fits in.**

 **Now on with the story!**

* * *

 _This was the day. The fateful day where humanity remembered that they lived in fear of the titans._

 **(Time Skip: One month later)**

Naruto sat down to take a break in the early morning. It had been a rough month settling in after evacuating behind the safety of Wall Rose. Due to the fact that they had been carrying absolutely nothing when they had boarded the boats, the makeshift group of an old man, a young man and four children found themselves without shelter, without money and without food.

Still, they managed. After the government had supplied the refugees with materials, everyone had been set into building quick, impromptu shelters. Using a few large wooden pillars stuck into the ground, the refugees managed to construct walls using rope, nails and a few support beams to attach wooden planks. Afterwards they had set on constructing a ceiling using the same wooden planks, layering it with a large sheet of tarpaulin to keep the rain out. The shelters weren't of very comfortable but they served their purpose in putting a roof above their heads, even if the walls offered very little defence against the wind or sun.

The floors of the shelters were left untouched. The ground was fairly flat and rocky and they did not have enough wood to spare to make a decent floor so they went without it. Instead, everyone lay on tarpaulin to separate them from the ground. There was no running water either, so everyone had to do their business elsewhere far away from the shelters. Despite this, Naruto had found a large yet abandoned wine barrel from outside a bar. Every morning he would walk to the river, fill the barrel with fresh water and proceed to return to the shelter where the rest of his group stayed.

Then he would make sure to start a fire to boil the water so it would be safe to drink, bathe in, and brush their teeth. To bathe Naruto had scavenged a water pail from a nearby house to use as well as stealing bars of soap from a store owner who still knew none the better. Thieving was simple business with what he had already learned from Hiruzen, but he did not do it for money, he did it for necessity. The whiskered boy stole only what he needed and not what he wanted. Toothbrushes, toothpaste, spare clothes, towels, Naruto took all that were necessary for hygiene. He made sure that his brothers and sister all took at least one bath a day.

He usually went alone so as not to risk getting caught, although he had once taken Mikasa along when he had been 'shopping' for her clothes and underwear. That had been embarrassing for them both.

He could have easily gotten mattresses, pillows and the like, but there was one problem. If they even seemed to be living with such things, there would be those violent enough and desperate enough to fight for them. If those types of people attacked without Naruto nearby, a few children along with an old man would do little to aid Iruka in a fight where they could all get seriously hurt. In the end it wasn't worth the risk.

When he could, he also stole freshly cooked meals to make up for the lack of food rations. Those however were harder to come by since he wasn't yet skilled enough to take food from a restaurant without getting noticed. That and it was also too risky to cook anywhere near other refugees. Curse humanity's jealous nature.

However, despite his added responsibilities, his training had been proceeding well enough. The sealing scroll Hiruzen had given him was full of other scrolls that contained information and instructions regarding anything that Hiruzen had wished to teach him. Unfortunately, Hiruzen had had enough foresight to ensure that certain scrolls could only be opened once the previous scroll had already been mastered. This way Naruto had to go through the scrolls in proper order. He didn't understand how, but the scroll would somehow know if it was mastered and the next scroll would unlock.

The first scroll had merely been a reminder about many of the teachings Hiruzen had already bestowed upon Naruto. Just in case he may have forgotten. After that he was instructed to learn a jutsu called the **Kage Bunshin** (Shadow Clone). These were more advanced clones than the simple ones he had been learning. These clones were actual physical entities that could interact with the environment around them, but the best part was that they could think for themselves. And not a simple train of thought, each clone thought exactly the same as the original and Naruto figured he could use this technique to be in two places at once. Sadly they were not very durable for fighting, they could take a fair share of blows but a powerful enough attack would dispel them instantly.

The description had said that the **Kage Bunshin** was an information gathering type of clone that could be used to distract among other things. The reason for this was once a clone dispelled, all of that clone's memories would be transferred back to the user. The description also warned to be careful in their usage as making a single shadow clone would take half of the user's chakra to form and over doing it might lead to chakra exhaustion. Naruto did not want to risk that when there was no one left who knew how to help him recover.

The golden haired boy had taken a few days to successfully perform the technique, but he persisted solely because of the sheer amount of physical applications that this technique had. It was also difficult without an instructor to point out what he was doing wrong and so the whiskered boy had resorted to using trial and error. Ever since then he had been able to make a single clone and sustain it for a few hours. However if he attempted to make more than **Kage Bunshin** he found himself feeling slightly taxed and decided not to risk it for a while. It would be safer to increase his chakra reserves to a reasonable level before attempting to do so again.

After he had gotten the technique down, the golden haired boy had slowly gone through all the possible applications of the jutsu. Hiruzen had added some extra notes suggesting that Naruto could use it for training to get techniques and information down faster and more effectively. Unfortunately the technique did not transfer and physical qualities back to the user so Naruto could not train his body using the technique. Then again, if one of his clones had been butchered the whiskered boy didn't really fancy that sort of damage appearing onto his real body.

Naruto proceeded to the next scroll which held the finishing touches for his rudimentary Taijutsu style. There was a note at the end that suggested Naruto find a style that suited him later on as every fighter was unique in their own way. But first, he had had to master this particular style as it would serve as a starting point where he could branch out when he needed to. It had taken him the better part of the first two weeks to fully get the hang of it as he had shouldered extra responsibilities in trying to make his foster family's new life more bearable.

While his **Kage Bunshin** carried out most of the tasks, such as stealing and fetching water or watching over his siblings, the real Naruto would be practicing on the outskirts of human activity like he had done before with Hiruzen. These last two weeks had seen him practicing his marksmanship, a **Genjutsu** (Illusionary Technique) and one **Ninjutsu** (Ninja Techniques).

The illusion he had been working on was only a very low rank according to the scroll he had been reading from, but it was still truly terrifying. The **Magen: Narakumi** (Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing) was an illusion that caused a person to live through their worst fear in startling reality. All their senses would be fooled into believing that such a horrific scene was realistic enough to actually be happening.

The reason it was classed as a low ranking illusion was because any shinobi with a decent grasp on their chakra would be capable of sensing the illusion and thus dispel it. But as far as Naruto knew, he was probably the only shinobi within the walls. Mere civilians wouldn't be able to break out of this technique, they may not even realize it was simply an illusion in the first place. They were very, very vulnerable. Naruto was sure he had gotten the concept, but he had a lack of human targets to practice on. Now he sounded like a crazy scientist.

Unfortunately, the illusion could only be maintained while Naruto had his hands clasped in the Ram seal. If the whiskered boy's concentration wavered then the illusion would shatter. Illusions needed a high amount of chakra control to maintain realism to convince the victim. Fortunately, Naruto was already working on his chakra control by attempting to walk on the river. It may have seemed absurd, but since Naruto found it child's play now to walk up and down trees, the next step was walking on water. Here he would have to constantly keep up with the fluctuating pressure exerted by the water. He was starting to get the hang of it though, barely.

The Ninjutsu he had unlocked was the exact same one that he had witnessed Hiruzen using a few weeks back in Shiganshina. **Katon: Goukakyou** (Fire Release: Grand Fireball). This would allow a user to expel a giant ball of flames from their mouth. And Naruto had seen its destructive power firsthand against the titan. That smiling titan may not have been killed, but the technique was deadly against humans and other shinobi. The golden haired boy did not know how he would need this technique, but it was better to always be prepared. What if he ran into a hostile shinobi someday?

Unfortunately, training in the technique hadn't been going so well. The Fire Release technique required him to perform a sequence of hand seals to properly mould the chakra and give it form. But without a teacher, he didn't know _where_ to mould the chakra or how much chakra to introduce into the technique. Without any sort of balance the technique wouldn't form.

His attempts had already burnt his mouth and hands a good amount of times. Either that or he ended up coughing up tons of smoke from his lungs. The one or two times he had been successful had produced tiny fireballs from his mouth, but the miniscule things were nothing close to the majestic inferno that Hiruzen had performed.

Beforehand Naruto had also been given a bit of chakra paper with instructions to run his chakra through to find out his elemental affinity. They were fire, wind, lightning, earth or water. What confused him were the results depicted by the paper. Based on the key, the whiskered boy had strong affinities for wind, fire and earth in that order with slightly weaker affinities to lightning and water. Strange, each shinobi was likely to lean towards only one type of element and later branch out to two or three, but never all five.

This was the main reason why the whiskered boy was wondering why he couldn't perform such a low rank fire technique. It stood to reason that if he had a strong affinity for fire, then he should have been able to perform fire techniques more easily.

His marksmanship on the other hand, had improved drastically. The weapons pouch seemed to contain scores of both kunai and shuriken so he could practice as much as he wanted with the detailed instructions left behind for him. He just made sure to gather all the thrown weapons again later, it would not do if someone randomly found such deadly objects. Heck, the first time he had seen the kunai he had cut his hand open! If not for his impressive healing factor, the cut would have taken a month to heal. As it was, it only took a good few hours for the wound to completely close without so much as a scar.

Naruto closed the scroll he had been studying and sealed it back within the main scroll. The sun had been getting higher in the sky and judging the time, it was probably around time for the rations to get handed out. It was time to get food for his family, at this point only Iruka would be trying to get any food. Armin's grandfather would probably still be watching the sleeping kids. He might as well get enough food for them before the daily share ran out. He would find something else for them to eat for dinner later on.

* * *

 **(At the Shelter)**

Mikasa's eyes blinked open in the early morning sunlight as it filtered in through the beams of the roof. She stared at the rafters of the makeshift human shelter for a moment before slowly sitting up.

It was still hard to believe; the sheer amount of refugees that hailed not only from Shiganshina, but from the entire area ranging from Wall Rose to Wall Maria. It had only been two weeks before that the government had decided to withdraw all human activity back inside Wall Rose, but already everyone was suffering.

The shelter she was in was one of many that had been hastily constructed simply to put a roof above the heads of the refugees. It wasn't worth much however as the ground they slept on remained uncovered, without tiles or any wood to spare it had been left as it was: cold, hard and rocky. The shelter didn't offer much privacy either, considering how each one was jammed with as many refugees as possible. Fighting for what little amount of space that they had was a nightmarish task that they would have failed in if not for Naruto and Iruka becoming openly hostile with their neighbours, if you could even call them that.

All of them would just sleep on the freezing ground, shivering as the wind swept over them at night. With no blankets or mattresses, they had been forced to resort to using their jackets instead of pillows and tried to endure the nights, cramped as they were. It was a harsh life that they had to adapt to quickly.

Naruto had insisted on claiming a corner of the building when they had first entered. Firstly, it would give them more protection from the wind as the two walls were at least some form of cover. Secondly, it would make it easier for the adults to protect the children as only two sides would have to be watched for. Claiming the spot and keeping it solely as theirs had been difficult, to say the least, but their claim lay unchallenged after Naruto had laid waste to a group of men trying to take their place. She still wondered where her brother had gotten those skills.

Even though Eren and Armin remained unaware, Mikasa had caught on to a conversation between Armin's grandfather, Iruka and Naruto. Apparently the three of them would take turns at night to keep watch against any of their more violent companions. It wasn't hard to get back at someone in their sleep. Add the fact that they had a little girl along with them. Some of the vile older men couldn't resist the temptation and had already attempted to get to her in her sleep. Retribution had always been swift and punishing in the form of an enraged Naruto. He didn't kill them, thankfully, but they would probably think twice before even attempting to force themselves on another woman. Unfortunately, Naruto couldn't be there for every female refugee and reports of rape had spread around in other shelters. Mikasa shuddered at the thought, unpleasant memories of the night her parents died rising to the surface.

Looking around her she noticed that the majority of the others in the crowded space were already rising from the hard ground on which they had slept, heading out early to receive their rations of food for the day.

Glancing back down she wasn't surprised to see only the figures of both Eren and Armin still soundly asleep next to her. The black haired girl figured that the others had left early, always early risers. But who had been watching them then?

"Good morning young lady." Armin's grandfather replied, catching her attention as he sat attentively next to a wooden beam.

"Good morning." Mikasa replied bluntly, as she dusted her sweater. It served as a good enough pillow once you got used to it, but Mikasa wasn't about to leave it on the ground for any longer than it needed to be.

"The others have already gone to get food." The old man added as he dusted himself off. "And I'll be here to watch over you and kids. Let the young lads sleep, their growing bodies need it."

Mikasa frowned at the reply. "But what about Naruto? He's only a year older than us so he needs sleep as well."

Armin's grandfather chuckled. "That young one needs nobody worrying after him lass, he can take care of himself and I'm sure he'll sleep when he feels the need." The old one pretended to only speculate about the matter since Naruto had already explained certain aspects regarding himself and one of those was the fact that the whiskered boy could carry on healthily with only three hours of sleep a day.

But Mikasa didn't know that.

"Still! If he doesn't know when to sleep like Eren then maybe one day he's just going to drop!"

Armin's grandfather winked at the worried girl. "That's exactly it. He is nothing like young Eren over there for the most part, so he knows when to do things. He doesn't need someone to fret over him like Eren there does."

Mikasa slumped down in defeat. Armin's grandfather had made a good point. Well, she should at least start doing something useful. The black haired girl then stood and dusted herself off. "I'm going to freshen up." She informed the old man as she started walking to the large barrel of river water. Naruto made sure to fetch more fresh water every morning from the river since he was the only one capable of doing it alone. It was a fact that the small group easily accepted, Naruto was not normal.

Naruto had also explained that he was only taking what was necessary and wasn't robbing for money. He still had morals, be he wouldn't let his family suffer when he could have done something about it.

Right now however he was nowhere in sight and Mikasa took her time in brushing her teeth and washing her face, deep in thought. Naruto was always away for most of the day, even Iruka spent more time at the shelter with the children. So where was Naruto during the day? What was their foster brother up too?

The black haired girl trusted him, almost unconditionally at this point. He was so caring and protective that she felt safe when around him. He exuded a calming aura when he was around that made Mikasa feel safe under the watch of an older brother. She could not rely on Eren for such a feeling since she was usually the one watching over him. It was nice to almost feel pampered once in a while.

The only one who still had doubts had been Armin. The small blond did not trust others easily and couldn't understand why Naruto would exert so much effort in looking after them. He stopped however, when Iruka had caught on and had a small chat with the trio. The orphanage caretaker had explained what Naruto's life had been like up till recently, how the whiskered orphan only had Iruka himself and the old man as the closest thing to a family.

She was interrupted from her thoughts when Armin cried out loudly. Mikasa whirled around to see that Armin's grandfather already had his grandson in a comforting hug, yet that wasn't what garnered her attention. It was more of what caused Armin's abrupt awakening. And that was Eren thrashing about on the ground, covered in sweat yet still deep in sleep. It seemed Eren had accidentally struck Armin in his sleep.

"Eren!" Mikasa cried out as she appeared by his side, trying to shake him awake. What was he dreaming about to be thrashing like this? Nightmare about Carla? No. The black haired girl knew that Eren only cried out when he dreamed about their mother, not flail his limbs wildly.

"Eren!"

* * *

 **(Eren's Dream)**

 _"_ _Eren!" his father called out desperately as he approached his son._

 _"_ _Dad! Please stop dad!" Eren cried out helplessly as he backed away. "What are you trying to do!?_

 _The ten year old was absolutely terrified. His father had a crazed, desperate and pleading look on his face, tears freely falling. Yet Eren was even more frightened of what his dad wanted to stab him with. That was a large syringe and Grisha Yeager seemed very intent on injecting the contents of the syringe into his son._

 _"_ _Just give me your hand!" Grisha pleaded, even as Eren tripped backwards over his own feet._

 _"_ _No!" The brunette yelled back defiantly. "What's wrong with you!? You've been acting weird ever since you found out mom died!"_

 _Eren winced when a powerful hand gripped his arm in a vice like grip, shoving the sleeve upwards forcefully. "Let go of me dad!"_

 _"_ _You're no good!" Grisha said mysteriously._

 _"_ _What are you talking about!?" Eren yelled at his father's face as he tried to wrestle free._

 _"_ _Don't forget the key."_

 _Eren's struggling had increased at this point, barely taking in his father's words._

 _"_ _You must make it back to our basement in Shiganshina. You'll find all the answers you need there. I wish I could tell you more but after this injection you're memory is going to be distorted so it's no use. But until then-"_

 _Suddenly the syringe flashed downwards._

 _"_ _Eren!"_

* * *

"Eren!"

The ten year old bolted upright at the sight of his name, greeted by the visage of a terrified Armin and a near frantic Mikasa. "What, happened?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"Are you okay Eren?" Armin struggled to ask.

After a brief nod from the brunette, Mikasa replied to his unanswered question. "You were crying in your sleep. You hit Armin by accident as well." She was being blunt again, her calm demeanour having returned now that Eren was awake.

Eren clutched his head as he briefly recalled flashes of the dream he had been having prior to waking up. Most of the sights and sounds were hazy and blurry but the ten year old had gotten the gist of the dream. Apparently it had affected him badly, seeing as how his body was slick with sweat and his clothes stuck to him as if he was drenched in rainwater.

"I felt like I just had an encounter with dad." The brunette admitted little unsurely.

"It was just a dream, Eren." Mikasa stated as she got back to her feet. "Now come. In your state you have to have a shower immediately. Then we can try and get some extra rations of food." She added stoically before offering her hand for Eren to take.

The ten year old boy took it gratefully, but not before peering at the key that hung around his neck. He knew what this particular key was for. And Eren also knew that he did not have it on him when he went to sleep the previous night. Something strange was going on here.

He was cut out of his musings when Mikasa forcefully hauled him to his feet. "Stop wasting time, Eren."

The boy was sure then and there that if Mikasa had been any more emotional, she would have snapped at him by now and quickly followed her to their barrel of river water. He didn't feel like arguing with her in that state.

* * *

 **(Food Reserves – 20 Minutes Later)**

Here again, at the food reserves. Eren didn't really like the crowded place, but it was where they would be able to get food. This was one of the places where rations were handed out to the refugees. It was bustling with people, all eager to receive their meal. Without any money this was the only way for them to receive any sort of food as any shops within the area were more concerned with making money.

All around them there were people in semi functional lines waiting to get to the stalls that were handing out bread. All around them however, fights for what little food there was had already broken out. Even behind the safety of another wall from the titans, all the refugees still struggled for survival. The food shortage had only become that much worse with more mouths to feed and less land to produce the food from. It was a disaster.

"This is not good." Armin pointed out at a group of grown men fighting over a loaf of bread.

Eren couldn't help but nod as the men began to brawl, more men joining in for a single loaf.

Armin's grandfather grunted. "It seems that there isn't enough food to go around. We're late too."

The group of four looked on in dismay at the dwindling piles of bread left to hand out. Eren in particular was blaming himself for sleeping as much as he had. Now they were going to starve for the day if there was no more food to give out. The guilt was not helped by his rumbling stomach at all.

Luckily, someone had managed to get food for them earlier.

"Armand!" Iruka called out loudly.

Armin's grandfather turned his attention to the orphanage caretaker. "Yes Iruka?" He started. "Wait, is that food?"

Iruka nodded as he stopped right in front of the group, cradling five loaves of bread in his arms. The scarred man then distributed the bread by giving everyone a loaf each. "I got these for all of you. Those are already our entire day's rations so eat up."

Armin eyed his loaf suspiciously. "How did you get this?" He asked. "Don't they only allow every person only one?" As always he had spotted what the others hadn't.

Iruka swallowed before answering. "Well I got one for myself, but Naruto did something and I suddenly ended up with five of them."

"Did he steal it again?" Mikasa questioned. She didn't really like that Naruto was shouldering most of the responsibilities in their group.

Iruka shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. But you should thank him later anyhow. Now eat up."

Mikasa decided to drop the subject. She wasn't going to get anything out of Iruka if the scar faced caretaker wanted to hide it. Biting into her bread the black haired girl ate her fill as quickly as she was able to without choking. If this was their day's share then they shouldn't even risk wasting it.

The loaf of bread was quickly devoured, it wasn't much, but at least it filled her stomach. Turning to Eren she was surprised to see that he hadn't yet taken a bite out of his share. Instead the brunette seemed to be glaring at something or someone. He was apparently angry at something. Mikasa noticed how his both his jaw and hands were tightly clenched. It was a miracle the ten year old hadn't yet crushed the loaf of bread in his grip.

She wasn't the only one to have noticed.

"Eren, what's wrong?" Armin asked timidly, nibbling on his bread.

This also prompted attention from the two adults who paused on their meagre meal to face the boy. And then they heard it.

"Why do we have to give our food to these outsiders? The titan's broke through anyway. They should have eaten more of them. Right now they're just worsening the food shortage."

All their eyes widened in shock at the horrible statement. The two adults themselves whirled around with barely concealed rage. Did these imbeciles even know what they were talking about?

Before they could move however, Eren had suddenly closed the distance and delivered a brutal kick to the soldier's shin in an act of retribution.

Eren had never felt so angry in his life. These were the cowards who stayed behind the walls and acted almighty. Outsiders? They may have lived on the outer wall but they were human beings too! Did they have any idea what any of the refugees had experienced?

Eren's kick had so much power behind it that the smug soldier cried out in pain nursing his stinging leg. "What's the matter with you kid!?" he roared before decking the ten year old across the face.

The brunette's head snapped sideways from the blow but Eren forced himself to remain standing, the anger clouding his better judgement. He would not lose to these two! Unfortunately the soldier's companion hadn't been pleased by Eren's actions either and landed a devastating kick to the young boy's chest, simultaneously knocking the air out of Eren's lungs and sending the boy flying backwards into the dirt.

Both soldiers then moved forward, displeasure evident on their faces as they headed to punish the boy.

"How can you say that!?" Eren demanded as they approached, ignoring the painful stinging on his cheek. "You don't know what it's like! The way titans eat people!" Eren had seen it. The boat that they had escaped on had been moving far to slow to save the passengers the horror of the titans devouring any human they came across.

"Shut up!" The pained soldier ordered as he and his partner thundered forward.

Seeing the danger to his friend Armin leapt in between the two soldiers with his arms held up showing that he was harmless as he tried to diffuse the situation. "We're sorry! It's just that he's…"

The small blond did not manage to finish when the soldier brutally backhanded the frail boy.

"Out of my way kid."

Iruka lost it at that point. He was all but ready to jump in once they landed the first hit on the Yeager boy. The caretaker had paused when Armin jumped in front, wondering if the young blonde's plan would deal with the problem. But the brutality that befell the young blond was the last straw. These were grown men! And they were beating up mere children!"

"Oi!" Iruka yelled.

The two men momentarily halted their advance on Eren at the challenging tone in the scar faced man's voice. Turning to face the once gentle caretaker, they were surprised to see the look of pure blasphemy on Iruka's face.

"Deal with someone your own size!" Iruka bellowed as he carelessly shoved one of the men backwards with enough force to send him tumbling. Iruka wasn't finished yet though and ducked under the second soldier's lazy punch before landing a painful shot at the man's face, probably breaking his nose.

The caretaker however had forgotten about the man he had shoved earlier and he came to regret it as he found both his arms pinned against his back with no way to escape. Then the soldier he had punched took the opportunity to get revenge as he launched a devastating punch to Iruka's exposed face.

The scar faced caretaker saw stars flit across his vision after the first blow, unable to do anything other than absorb the hit. What a way to become a punching bag.

"You would've been dead without us!" The soldier declared as he threw another punch. Then another. "You should learn to be more grateful!"

"How do you like that?" The man grinned savagely as he prepared for another punch.

It was a hit that never landed.

* * *

Naruto sighed for a moment as he waited in line for the fifth time for that morning alone. Every person was entitled to only receive one loaf of bread for the day due to the shortage of food. But Naruto had a way around that. Using the **Henge** (Transformation) he had disguised himself as a different person each time he went to receive more bread.

He had already gotten enough for the rest of his rather large family, for now, and he was just waiting to finally get his share. The golden haired boy found himself a little lost in thoughts as he gratefully took the morning bread and bit in. Most of the men furthest back in the line had started to get rowdy, realizing that the food would run out long before they got their turn. Naruto ignored them. The fools should have tried to come earlier instead of lounging around. It wasn't like they had anything else to be doing.

He took notice however, of a girl probably younger than Mikasa standing near the end of one of the lines. She was stuck out in the crowd due to the fact that she was very young, and very alone. Her face looked dead, staring at the ground as she took another step forward in the long line. Looking back at the stalls to see what bread was left, Naruto estimated that she wouldn't make it there, especially not with those men at the back. He took one look at his share of bread then back at the girl and sighed. Damn his kind nature, Hiruzen had rubbed off on him a little too much.

Oh well, he would find something else to eat later. He doubted that the little girl would.

The golden haired boy walked up to her with a friendly smile on his face, making sure not to scare her as he usually tended to do with strangers. Everyone seemed to react negatively to his strange looks. "Oi, little girl. Here you go." He said as he lifted one of her hands to place the loaf of bread in.

The dead look on the girl's face disappeared suddenly as she took notice of the action, suddenly becoming guarding and alert. Naruto watched closely as she turned to face him with cold, piercing, blue eyes. The question on her face was clear as she gazed into his eyes, searching for an answer.

Naruto wrote it off with another smile. "Take it. The bread will run out before you get to the stands."

"What about you?" she asked, never once looking away from his eyes. The whiskered boy found the younger girl slightly similar in behaviour to Mikasa, being able to throw strangers off track without meaning to.

"I'll manage. Can't have a pretty lady starve now can I?" Naruto winked in response. The eleven year old was unaware that he was flirting, simply stating what was on his mind.

Unfortunately he didn't get to catch the girl's reaction, which was to blush slightly and look away. His distraction was due to the commotion that had suddenly erupted nearby, a commotion that included people that the whiskered boy knew very well.

Eren lay sprawled on the ground, massaging his jaw. Naruto looked at his little brother quizzically, unable to understand the situation. The only ones anywhere near the ten year old boy were two soldiers, but they wouldn't hurt villagers, would they? Naruto was answered a moment later when Armin jumped in front of Eren only to get violently smacked away.

Naruto's felt his teeth grinding against each other, his fingernails digging into his palm as he clenched his fist. It was taking a great deal of self control not to launch himself at the two soldiers lest he seriously harm them. Hiruzen had always told him never to harm those unable to defend themselves. That his power came with responsibilities.

But then again, these soldiers weren't supposed to harm children either. So it would be a fair trade if got his shot at them didn't it? Naruto was glad that Iruka had interfered. At least he wouldn't have to deal with the soldiers himself.

Naruto's eyes widened a few seconds later. Scratch his earlier thoughts. Iruka was in trouble, and someone was going to pay.

The golden haired boy shot off and suddenly closed the distance with the main assailant.

"How do you like that?" He heard the man taunt as the soldier drew his arm back, ready to punch Iruka again. His Iruka.

Naruto didn't say anything. He just grabbed the man by the waist and tossed him aside like a doll. It was easy enough with chakra coursing through his body, strengthening it.

"Oi! What's your problem?" The soldier holding Iruka spat, throwing Iruka to the side to deal with the new threat.

The whiskered boy didn't respond, opting instead to drive his fist into the man's stomach. He wasn't using chakra to add power to his punches. He didn't need to. Naruto didn't want to risk accidentally killing either of them. The backlash would be bad.

With the man doubled over in pain, the golden haired boy landed four punches in the space of a second to the man's face. As the soldier staggered backwards, Naruto landed a graceful roundhouse kick that threw the man completely off balance and crashing onto the concrete pavement.

But the eleven year old was not done. He knew he had his back turned to the other soldier, but it was on purpose. He didn't need his eyes to sense the other man's movements. His back being turned only served as a fake opening for his opponent to try and exploit. People not trained in any style of fighting were easily predictable. The golden haired boy almost sighed when the man shouted while throwing the punch. Was it really necessary to make so much noise as you struck? It was a dead giveaway to the other man's intentions.

Sensing an incoming punch from the right, Naruto perfectly timed his duck so that the punch sailed overhead. It was such a sloppy punch that Naruto was really beginning to question whether the training the cadets were offered was worth it. These two soldier's hand to hand combat skills were abysmal at best.

The eleven year old didn't waste the opening presented and aimed a precise jab at the soldier's throat. Such a strike was sure to render his opponent immobile for quite a while and in serious pain. Naruto was careful not to crush the soldier's windpipe though, that was probably going to be fatal. Probably.

Unlike he predicted however, the soldier remained standing, albeit clutching his throat and struggling for air. Naruto decided to finish it with a move he had gotten a glimpse of from some other boys brawling. It wasn't strictly part of his Taijutsu style but it would get the job done. The soldier was helpless to stop the Lariat that took him off his feet. Naruto himself felt proud of his execution as the two men he had fought briefly lay struggling on the floor. But he was not done yet. Not at all.

The aspiring shinobi had not been able to practice his **Magen: Narakumi** (Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing) on live targets before, partially due to the horror it could possibly bring to the victims. Therefore he wasn't very sure if it would even work or if he could do it effectively. Fortunately, he had recently acquired two subjects for him to run his tests. He grinned in anticipation even as he ran through the hand seals, excited to finally try the jutsu, what was the use of knowing it if you couldn't use it?

Far away in some secluded meeting chambers, a certain red haired scientist sneezed violently.

Naruto was not feeling very merciful with these two particular men. He didn't know why they had been beating his family but he felt that he didn't need to know. As far as he was concerned the military should have never raised their hands against the very people they were supposed to be protecting. They deserved what was coming.

 **"** **Magen: Narakumi."** (Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing) Naruto whispered, focusing on the two men that now lay side to side. He could feel the illusion settling into place, now it was up to the two men's own imaginations to run rampant and consume them.

* * *

Carl slowly sat up, massaging his sore face. That kid sure packed a punch. He sat up just in time to watch Gerald suffer another painful fate and winced when his friend's head crashed into the ground next to him. Anger surged through Carl's head at being bested by such a young boy. And what was this boy doing anyway? What did they do to him?

And now what was the kid doing? Saying something they couldn't understand while playing with his hands? Was he mocking them? Either way Carl didn't want him to finish what he was doing and shot to his feet. He managed to the get to the stranger in time and interrupted whatever was being done by kicking the boy in the chest.

Suddenly the strange looking boy seemed frightened and took of running into the crowd.

"Oi! Where are you running off to? Get back here you little shit!" Carl snarled as he stood shakily. His jaw still ached from the punishment it had received earlier but he didn't really feel up to chasing the boy. Turning to his friend Gerald, Carl offered a hand which his friend gratefully took.

Carl hauled up his coughing friend. In a way Gerald probably had it worse than he did.

"Dad! Dad!" A little girl screamed as she came running to hug Carl with tear stricken eyes.

Worried, the father came and hugged his little girl. What happened to his daughter and what was she doing here? She should have been safe at home. Next to him he could see Gerald in a similar situation, consoling his bawling wife. When had that woman arrived?

"What's wrong?" Carl asked as he soothed his little girl. "Where's your mother?"

"Titans dad! They came!"

Carl's blood froze. Titans? Inside Wall Rose? Impossible!

"They ate mom!" The little child bawled. "Dad I'm scared! They're comi…"

The little girl was interrupted as a massive hand simply snatched the child away from her father, screaming hysterically. Carl was on his knees begging right now, staring up to face the monstrosity that held his precious daughter in its grip.

"No!" Carl screamed in vain as the beast clamped its vicious jaws shut, ending his little girl's life.

Carl screamed as the same hand reached for him. His family was gone. And now he himself was going to be eaten. His last thoughts had been the words spoken to him by that green eyed boy earlier.

 _'_ _You don't know what it's like! The way titans eat people!'_

Regret was the last thing that entered Carl's mind before he saw black.

* * *

"Naruto!" Armin cried out in surprise as their elder brother appeared from seemingly out of nowhere. He was ignored however as his brother immediately attacked the soldier's that had been beating up Iruka.

Armin once again took the opportunity to watch the skill and grace displayed by the golden haired boy, something seldom seen in children. The blond was slightly worried, they were sure to get in trouble for causing a ruckus. Especially since they had chosen to clash with soldiers. Why couldn't Eren be careful with what or who he picked fights with? Didn't the boy have any survival instincts at all?

It was all done within the blink of an eye. Armin could hardly follow the whiskered boy's movements before the two grown men lay defeated at his brother's feet. Armin was just about to suggest leaving before they got into any more trouble with any other authorities in the area. He had already picked out three optimal paths of escape to run through so that they could lose any other potential pursuers when Armin noticed that the golden haired boy uttered something in a foreign language while forming sequences with his hands. Armin was observant enough to realize that they worked in conjunction with each other and he would be sure to ask Naruto its purpose later on. The small blond was also very interested in that new language, not very many were present within the walls since all the other less used languages died out. It would be a great opportunity to gain additional knowledge even if they could only use it amongst themselves. The question was would Naruto be willing enough to teach them?

His musings were cut short when the two grounded men began screaming and calling out names that they had never heard before. Armin watched in wonder as their spasms rocked their bodies violently before they finally fell still.

"Did you kill them?" Eren asked curiously.

Naruto shook his head. "I just gave them a little nightmare to live through, I'm not sure what they dreamed about but it doesn't seem too good."

"Let's leave before anyone else notices us." Mikasa stated matter of factly, looking around cautiously. "There would have been someone to notice this."

Naruto's cerulean eyes settled on her. "Don't worry, look around at all the fights going on around here. Some are more severe than ours and they draw everyone else's attention. We can walk out of here and no one will notice. So let's go, but don't run or anything. That will just draw suspicion."

He looked back at the two soldiers. "Leave them there, they will wake up sometime soon anyway."

Nodding at his logic, the black haired girl and Eren both moved to follow their whiskered brother as Naruto turned to walk away.

"That boy, he's something else all right." Armin overheard his grandfather whispering to Iruka.

"I am really wondering myself what he went through under Hiruzen, but I think it's better not to ask questions. He already told us the basics so that we would understand. For now we will take care of the kids, he may mean well but he is still just a boy." Iruka replied.

Armin stored that information for later on. What was Naruto's secret that only the adults knew? But right now they were getting left behind. "Are you coming?" he asked to get the two adult's attention.

Both the scar faced orphanage caretaker and Armin's grandfather nodded before following suit with Armin trailing behind them. The blond boy however could not shake the feeling that they were being watched, despite Naruto's assurances earlier on. Scanning the crowd but finding nobody, Armin finally turned away to catch up to his family. Yet the nagging feeling did not disperse.

Little did he know, Armin had been right. Three pairs of eyes followed the departing group.

* * *

Annie Leonhardt stared after the boy that had come and generously offered her his own food. It was unexpected to say the least; her opinion so far of these walled people was already incredibly bad.

She simply could not stand them. She despised them. Every single last one of them. All of these selfish, greedy cowards that had a pathetic claim on life. They lived without purpose and made no effort whatsoever to improve their place in the world. They simply chose to live a useless life within the walls; eating, sleeping and producing waste. Just like animals.

But this behaviour was what was labelled as humanity. To think she had wanted to be considered as a simple human once before. The blonde was reluctant to even interact with the simple minded fools. Unlike sheep though, these humans were prone to intense outbursts of anger which led to violent outcomes.

This boy however, had turned her views around in the space of a few seconds. He had given her food instead of keeping it to himself as she had come to believe. His reasoning was also strange. She wasn't sure whether he did it on purpose, but that was the first time _anyone_ had _ever_ shown her some form of compassion. Everyone else back home had something derogatory to throw her way, especially her father. His compliment also stirred up a new feeling inside of her that she had never felt before. It was very new and that was dangerous. It was also, warm in its own way. Whatever this new feeling was she did not dwell on it and her features returned back to their lazy state, nibbling on the bread.

Annie felt two presences suddenly appear on either side of her. She did not need to turn to recognize who they were. Only two people would ever appear as they did in this place.

"Who was that Annie?" Reiner asked curiously with his arms crossed, eyes also following the stranger. "You two seemed close." The bigger male may not have heard what the stranger had said, but his smile and Annie's slightly flustered reaction had been more than enough to garner his interest. It was the most emotion their team mate had shown ever since they were teamed up.

The small girl seemed to mull it over for a minute before answering, watching as the whiskered boy charged the two soldier's in a rage. "Nobody."

"His hand to hand combat is very good." Bertholdt calmly observed.

"Form is good and he hits hard." Reiner added on.

"I see." Annie replied, still taking small bites out of the bread.

Reiner felt a little miffed at the lack of response. The small girl had gone back to her usual self and both boys really wanted to improve their team dynamic. This was the one time where he could hope to get her to open up a little and let go of that chilly demeanour.

"What are we going to do about him Annie? He might end up in a titan's stomach with what we plan on doing."

Next to him Bertholdt stiffened and Reiner bit his lip. That was probably not a good way to continue the conversation.

Annie however ignored them, watching the whiskered stranger intently. She thought he had been itching for a fight when he took of earlier and her opinion of him had degraded. This time however, he proved to be defending what was his family. _So he fought to protect._ She was forced to re-evaluate her opinion. He had a great drive. That was for sure. He wasn't one of these sheep and he wasn't afraid.

She then remembered that Reiner had asked her a question and was probably still waiting for an answer. Without breaking her gaze from the group, she gave her reply. "I will repay his kindness. He will not get eaten."

"Does the offer extend to those others?" The tall brunette asked, gesturing to Naruto's family.

The trio's eyes lingered on the lone boy that seemed to be searching the crowd for them, feeling like he was being watched.

"We shall see." With those words, Annie turned the other way and began walking off into the crowd. "Leave me, we should not be seen together for very long. People may grow suspicious."

Reiner sighed and scratched his head as she left. "Damn it Bert, this mission is going to be harder than we thought."

* * *

 **(Shelter)**

Back in their place at the shelter, the group of children sat in a loose circle with Naruto leaning with his back against the wall. Iruka and Armand had gone after being summoned by a messenger of the central government with a message of orders for the refugees. The adults were all required to attend but the kids did not need to. The shelter itself was now virtually empty of all but the four children.

Mikasa sat in the corner quietly with her legs crossed and skirt neatly folded. She didn't usually talk much with the others anyway. Armin was sitting on the floor across from Eren, watching as the green eyed boy stared angrily into space.

"I'm going to go back inside Wall Maria and kill every single titan there!" Eren declared suddenly, still not having eaten his bread.

The bold statement had the other three's immediate attention as Naruto and Armin shared a glance.

"Eren, you're not serious right?" Armin asked with a small placating smile.

The green eyed boy's expression then darkened as his head snapped up to glare at Armin. It was so openly hostile that Armin visibly recoiled. "I've never been more serious!"

Naruto was frowning at this point, watching his little brother closely with his arms crossed. He didn't really like that Eren seemed to draw power from his anger. The eleven year old began debating whether it would be a good idea to train the brunette in better handling his emotions.

While Naruto's thoughts drifted, Eren was not so quiet about his. "I'm not like these people that only act strong when protected by the walls!"

The brunette then glared maliciously at the loaf of bread in his hands. "I don't need this crap!"

Naruto's blue eyes widened in surprise as the loaf of bread sailed towards him. Snatching it out of the air the whiskered boy slowly began to feel anger. Did Eren not appreciate food? Even in Shiganshina there was barely enough to go around. His little brother should know the value of every little bit of food that was available.

Luckily Armin was there to ask the question. Naruto feared he may have been a lot less forgiving in making Eren see reason. Heck, the other larger boys in the orphanage learnt to leave him alone after they got hurt. The golden haired boy decided that he would stand by during the short confrontation and watch events play out.

"Eren, what are you doing!?" Armin yelled. The small blond knew that Naruto would catch the bread so he didn't spare it a glance.

Eren leapt to his feet, prompting Armin to do the same since they were obviously in a heated argument.

The green eyed boy moved closer to Armin as he spoke. "Doesn't it bother you Armin? We can't do anything against the titans because we live off of such pity!"

Armin stood his ground. "But it's impossible! We can't do anything against them! Our only choice is to live inside these walls! If you do anything stupid then you're just going to die like my parents did!"

Eren sneered venomously. "So that's why you're sucking up to these people? Do you have no shame!?"

"It's all we can do right now!" Armin argued back, even as tears filled the small boy's eyes.

"That's just an excuse! Just carry on living like livestock you weak piece of shit!" Eren roared, the harsh words cutting into Armin as the sobbing boy finally dropped to his knees. Mikasa appeared next to their small blond friend much like she did earlier.

Naruto lost it. That last insult had gone too far! In the blink of an eye Naruto's fist impacted against Eren's jaw, sending the younger boy to the ground as his elder brother glared at him.

"Naruto?" Mikasa asked softly as ash comforted Armin.

Naruto took a deep breath, keeping his outstretched hand held out. That had felt good. Now he just had to knock some sense into the idiot. He figured he needed to be a lot stricter than Carla seemed to have been. Apparently, Eren almost never listened to Carla and the golden haired boy knew how kind Carla had been from listening to Mikasa speak at night when she had to let it out. Therefore he would deal with Eren like Hiruzen dealt with troublemakers at the orphanage, with pain.

He walked over threateningly to the grounded boy, kicking him over. "If Armin is weak, then what does that make you?" Naruto asked rhetorically. "If I can remember correctly, then you aren't much better yourself."

On the ground Eren flinched as tears came to his eyes.

Seeing that he was getting somewhere, Naruto ploughed on. The whiskered boy was determined to teach his little brother a proper lesson. "You were too weak as a person to make decent memories with mother. You were too weak to get her out from under the pillar in time without my help. And you were too weak to even get to the boats on your own! At least Armin managed to find his grandfather and bring him to the boats without a soldier and especially without anyone dying!"

Everyone's eyes widened at that as Eren's tears finally fell down his face. This was the first time Naruto had ever raised his voice against one of them and it _hurt_ Eren more than he thought it should. The hard part was that the hurtful words that his elder brother's mouth spouted were all true.

"And do you know the worst part?" Naruto asked threateningly as he picked up Eren by his shirt collar and hoisted him up into the air. "It's that I'm no better myself!"

Eren took the chance to look down at his elder brother in shock and only then noticed how Naruto's own eyes were red with unshed tears. "If only I had been stronger then maybe I could have got to the old man sooner! I could have been more help to him in the end! If I was stronger then he would still be here with me instead of rotting inside that fucking titan's stomach!" Naruto yelled as he dropped Eren onto the floor.

"We're all weak here. We all needed someone else's help to reach the boats. Even now we live off other people's food. There's no chance for weaklings like us to take down even a single of those titans. The important part is staying alive until we get older, until we can fight them properly with everyone else. But until then, you eat and stay alive. I won't let you, Mikasa or Armin starve to death." Naruto finished as Eren sat up, shoulders drooping.

"I'm sorry Naruto, Armin." Eren offered his heartfelt apology, ashamed of himself. "I stepped out of line, I should have…"

The brunette found himself unable to speak any further when the loaf of bread got shoved into his mouth. "I told you to eat already didn't I?" Naruto joked as Eren finally took a bite.

Just like that, the warm atmosphere settled around the group as everything was settled. The whiskered boy thought it went really well, he only had to punch Eren once.

While the other three began chatting amongst themselves, an idea suddenly hit Naruto. What if he trained these three others how to fight? They did not have chakra but with the correct style then could hold their own against other humans. They still had a good three years before they would be legible to apply for military training. Well, for Naruto it would only be two years since he was already eleven but he wasn't exactly going anywhere without his siblings. But before they even applied there, other people were the biggest threat to his siblings. That and he wouldn't always be there to guard them. It would be beneficial to everyone if he taught them how to fight. Now what to teach them?

The golden haired boy briefly remembered that a person's personality usually influenced the style that they excelled at. Observing Mikasa for a moment, he decided that he would train her at a style that excelled at fast strikes, grapples and dodging. The young girl may not look it, but she was incredibly strong for both her age and size. He had seen her agility firsthand before and decided that he would offer two scrolls from his arsenal for her to learn.

Armin would probably need a style that involved very little contact with his opponent, striking pressure points to take down the opponent. Armin certainly had the smarts both to learn and effectively utilize the techniques in combat. It was perfect since Armin was too weak to do direct impact damage to someone or to grapple anyone for the matter. Naruto involuntarily flinched when he pictured Armin blocking a strike from a larger opponent. Fortunately, Naruto had a style that complimented Armin perfectly in his arsenal. He hadn't paid much attention to it before since it wasn't very appealing for him to use but now he had someone who could possibly make good use of it.

Eren, well, this would be a challenge. The boy was strong, but he lacked any sort of finesse. Something that Hiruzen had been constantly trying to drill into Naruto. Eren was no juggernaut, which was for sure. The boy couldn't just charge in swinging his fist and expecting to absorb all the incoming damage. That was suicide. But maybe Eren would be good at a counterattacking style that involved some heavy grapples and slams. If Eren grew tall then that would suit him perfectly.

Naruto himself was planning on branching out, he had enough time to learn two or three different styles, but first he had to get his siblings up to speed.

"Hey guys." Naruto interrupted, smirking as three pairs of eyes settled on him. "Would anyone here like to learn how to fight?"

Mikasa seemed intrigued by the prospect and nodded for him to continue. Eren on the other hand was already leaping in front of Naruto, excited beyond belief. His elder brother looked _amazing_ when he fought and Eren seriously thought that it would be useful.

Armin however, looked conflicted. "Naruto, I don't think I am suited for combat."

Naruto's smirk got the better of him as he gave them all the details of what he would try teaching them and by the end of it, three eager children sat in front of him awaiting instructions. He had been surprised when Armin requested to be taught his language. Mikasa and Eren both seemed interested as well. The whiskered boy didn't mind, it would be nice to have someone else to talk to in Hiruzen's language.

* * *

 **(Night-time)**

It was already late at night as the whiskered boy switched over Iruka for his shift at night watch. He sighed heavily, they had spent the day on training in the basics of each of their fighting styles. They had a general idea of what they had to achieve but there was still room for improvement. It hadn't been a wasted day at all.

Right now however, it wasn't what he was worrying about. Living in these conditions were bearable but only barely. He wanted to get his siblings a room of their own were they could have what they wanted. But for that they needed money. And no matter his abilities, children could not work for money.

He had overheard some people talking though. He probably wasn't supposed to have heard it while going through the back of a restaurant earlier that day, but he couldn't help it. Curiosity got the better of him. Apparently there was something people referred to as the Underworld.

He had done his research and found out that the Underworld did indeed exist. It consisted of a massive underground city underneath Wall Sina and branched out all the way to underneath the entirety of Wall Rose. The Underworld was in itself an enormous network of underground tunnels that crisscrossed over each other producing a terrifying maze.

One reason not many people lived there was because of the extremely hostile conditions produced by those that did inhabit the underground labyrinth. Thugs, thieves, murderers, drug lords, human traffickers they were all there. The few that did make a living down in such dangerous conditions were the outcasts of society, those that no longer had a place in the world above.

The population in the underworld was staggering to say the least. Naruto estimated that maybe a stunning fifth of mankind's entirety dwelled down there.

The golden haired boy pondered his position for a moment. On the one hand he could stay alongside his siblings and survive off of cultivating the land like the refugees had been ordered. On the other hand he could risk himself and go and make a living in the Underworld, getting the finance needed to make his family's life more comfortable.

It was a relatively easy decision to make since technically he wouldn't be leaving his siblings alone. His shadow clones could keep an eye on them like normal while he was away and they tended to last long. If they did not get injured then they could function for two days at most without being dispelled. Nobody would even notice he was missing.

In the Underworld he could also practice his shinobi skills without fear of being discovered. He may only be treated as a rumour and he really doubted that any authorities would want to go snooping in such a sinister place.

How to make money? Well, stealing from thieves and the like didn't sound too bad. It wasn't like they owned any of it in the first place.

The other details, well he could sort them out later. First, Naruto needed to check the place and plan accordingly. Looking around at his sleeping siblings Naruto gave them a faint smile. It would be worth it in the end.

Forming a shadow clone next to him, the eleven year old shinobi nodded at his copy before using a **Henge (Transformation)** to cloak himself in black shinobi garb.

Taking one last look at his family, the whiskered boy took off. It was time to enter the Underworld.

* * *

 **(Time Skip: One Year Later)**

Naruto was exhausted. He had been very far away from home when he had heard the news. He had been almost at Wall Sina actually when he had overheard the talk of the government sending all able bodied refugees to try and retake Wall Maria.

It may have seemed like a glorious idea, but everyone could see past the thinly veiled death march. The government apparently saw this as the only solution to the food shortage that had only worsened over time, even with all the refugees cultivating land. It hadn't been enough.

Naruto knew that he would not be able to make it back in time, yet he had run anyway as fast as chakra to his legs would allow. He was right, he had been too late. Nearing the apartment Naruto rented with the money he had managed to obtain, he met up with his shadow clone. His copy acknowledged him briefly before dispelling, allowing the golden haired boy to sift through the clone's memories.

Apparently Armin's grandfather had been one of those chosen to leave and poor Armin had tried desperately to keep his last member of blood family with him. It had all been in vain and all Armin had been left with as a memento of his grandfather was the aging hat that Armand had decided to pass down to his grandson. Fortunately, Naruto's shadow clone had been there to console the devastated Armin. The clone had then explained why Armand had chosen to go, a sacrifice so that the next generation had a better chance of surviving. Just as Hiruzen had done for Naruto. The clone had then hugged the small blond to sleep before getting up to leave.

The golden haired boy was very thankful that Iruka had signed up for the training corps a few months back, at least the orphanage caretaker wouldn't be a part of the ensuing slaughter.

As the clone had left the apartment it had been just in time to encounter a very brief yet very hostile argument once again in the form of an irate Eren and a defiant Mikasa. It hadn't ended well. Eren had stormed off back into the apartment and jumped into the bed next to Armin before falling asleep immediately.

The black haired girl however had gone off in another direction altogether. According to the clone, these events had happened only five to ten minutes before.

Slightly worried about his little sister, Naruto took off in the direction Mikasa had gone in. The twelve year old wanted to make sure that his sister would be alright. He knew she was already capable of taking care of herself at this point but he didn't trust Mikasa with her own feelings. In the past year Naruto and his little sister had gotten incredibly close in their relationship that they almost could not hide anything from each other. Well, she didn't know that about his frequent visits to the Underworld but she did not need to know that.

He finally spotted her on a nearby rooftop on a tall house that had all its lights out. The inhabitants had already gone to sleep. Adding a little more chakra to his feet, Naruto effortlessly leapt up all three stories and landed silently next to the girl. The golden haired boy had to wonder how she had gotten up here in the first place but didn't ask. Now was not the time.

The girl was sobbing silently as she hugged her knees tightly, burying her face within the red scarf. Naruto now knew its symbolic importance to the girl and understood just how much it meant to her.

Not really sure how to proceed, Naruto dropped himself down next to her. "What's wrong Mikasa?" he prodded gently.

The black haired girl looked up slowly with red eyes sore from crying. She was not surprised to see that her brother had suddenly appeared out of nowhere without her sensing him. She had stopped questioning his abilities long ago.

"Having a hard time with Eren again?" Naruto asked as he turned to look up at the starlit sky. He already knew the answer to that.

Mikasa gave a small nod in return.

The golden haired boy sighed. This really wasn't his forte. He held out an arm around her, giving her an invite.

Mikasa took the invite gratefully as she leant against his chest as he wrapped the arm around her shoulders. "Tell me what happened this time. And don't leave anything out."

Mikasa wriggled a little in his comfortable embrace. "Eren got mad at me again. He said he wants me to leave him alone for once. He even told me that I should go find something useful to do with my life instead of watching over him all the time! Doesn't he get that I want to watch over him to make sure he's safe? You know him Naruto! He's going to die or get seriously hurt if I don't watch him! It hurts that he doesn't like me watching over him but it hurts even more that he's starting to push me away." She finished as she began sobbing again.

Naruto tightened his embrace around her shoulders in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. His sister only seemed strong on the outside, but inside she was a very fragile thing. She didn't even seem to care about anything other than Eren. He was a little confused as to how he should approach this situation given that he didn't have much experience with relationships either. This was something that they should sort out with each other. Then again he could be a little bit of help and encourage the girl, that would only be good in the long run. Turning to the girl in his arms he slowly wiped her tears off with his thumb.

The golden haired boy flashed his little sister a smile and the black haired girl could not resist smiling back a little. "I'll just ask. Do you think he is worth it?" he asked seriously.

Mikasa nodded immediately without any hesitation.

Naruto grinned. "Then don't give up! You should never give up! That boy is just as blind as a bat when it counts and you know it. I mean can't he see this wonderful girl sitting right underneath his nose? I mean look! She's beautiful, smart, devoted…"

He was interrupted when Mikasa punched him playfully. "Stop, you're just lying to make me feel better."

Naruto knew better however and his grin widened when he noticed how flustered she was getting. "Therefore since lover boy over there is hopeless, then it's up to you to get this thing going! It may hurt, but just persist. No pain, no gain. Trust me."

Mikasa smiled a genuine smile at that. "Thank you Naruto, for everything."

"Nah, no problem. But I think we have to go, the man who lives here doesn't seem too happy with us."

"Oi! Who's up there! Come down here thief so I can shoot you!"

Naruto blinked. "Um no thank you sir! I prefer my life!" the whiskered boy shouted back.

Mikasa giggled as the man thundered up the stairs to the roof.

"That's our cue." Naruto announced as he picked up Mikasa bridal style and began leaping across the rooftops, laughing heartily at the confused man they had left on the rooftops.

The black haired girl smiled in exhilaration. It wasn't often she got to travel like this, with the wind in her face while feeling like a damsel in distress instead of a protector. She hugged her big brother tighter. What would she do without him?

It took only a minute before they were back at their apartment. The whiskered boy set down his little sister next to Eren on the bed after locking the door. They all shared just one bed with Armin and Naruto always on either end. Eren would always sleep next to Armin while Mikasa chose to be in between Eren and Naruto.

After switching off the lights, Naruto came and lay down next to Mikasa. Even if they shared the rather large bed, each one had their own pillows and blankets. Just as he was going to fall asleep, he felt someone poking his side.

Grunting, he turned to see Mikasa's wide eyes eyeing him pleadingly. "Um, Naruto? Can you…" Mikasa faltered as she tried to get the words out of her mouth.

Naruto got the idea and gave her a smile before nodding and adjusting his position so that he was effectively hugging Mikasa's from behind. He didn't see anything wrong with it since he was still just twelve and she was eleven. They were also brother and sister. She sighed a little as she got comfortable. "Thank you again. It's just that… Eren used to hug me in his sleep when we were younger, but now he stopped for some reason I…"

"Just go to sleep Mikasa. You can thank me in the morning." Naruto joked as he let out a yawn.

Mikasa didn't answer anymore as she felt the whiskered boy behind her succumb to sleep. She really wished that Eren would notice her. It was her dream. He had practically been her knight in shining armour and they had shared moments that only they could understand. But Eren had always been distant and she couldn't put her finger as to why. The black haired girl wanted attention for herself, but Eren didn't seem to feel the same way. Instead the green eyed boy always seemed to be angry with her for some reason or other.

Naruto on the other hand, was a blessing. She still did not know exactly how they ran into him, but she was grateful anyway. She had always been the oldest acting among the trio before, shouldering all the responsibilities. But ever since the golden haired boy had come along she had much less to worry about as he took up the position for himself. That and Naruto seemed to give her more attention than Eren ever did.

Eren was her hope and she felt happy whenever he was near. She wanted to please him and she worked hard to try and keep him safe. With Naruto however, she could just be herself and he wouldn't really mind. She didn't need to worry about his wellbeing either and he was concerned about her. Eren would probably only notice her if she was on the verge of death. The sad thought penetrated her mind and she unconsciously tightened her hold on the arms that held her.

It was hard trying to keep up with Eren. She got nothing in return for her efforts but an empty pit whenever she was ignored or scolded. She really wished that Eren could be more like Naruto. The calm and reassuring aura that her elder brother emitted made her feel safe. Protected even. It was a warm feeling whenever she was with Naruto, compared to the coldness with Eren. When was the last time that the green eyed boy had even made her laugh?

It was with these confused thoughts that Mikasa finally drifted off into sleep. Even if she wanted to, she could not replace the feeling of Naruto's arms around her with Eren's. The problem was she did not know whether to feel good or bad about it.

* * *

 **(Time Skip: One more Year Later – Underworld, Unknown Location)**

"Uzumaki! They're surrounding us!"

"Shut it Levi! I know that!"

"Farlan, Isabel! Get those people out of here fast! Uzumaki and I will try to hold them back!"

"Got it!"

"Uzumaki, you better be able to do what I think you can."

"I can say the same to you, Levi."

"This was not a good idea. I blame you for this."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

 **(Time Skip: One Final Year Later)**

"You are now all officially members of Training Unit 104! Unfortunately for you, Keith Shadis, will be in charge! I'm not here to give you a warm welcome! All of you are just livestock waiting to be eaten by titans! No, you're even worse than livestock!" Keith bellowed out in front of the trainees that all stood to attention.

Naruto smiled, he already liked where this was going.

* * *

 **And that's a wrap!**

 **This chapter we got to introduce a few of the new characters as well as expand on Naruto's relationship with his family members. But what trouble does he keep getting himself into in the Underworld? We'll dwell on it sometime later. As well as Mikasa's conflicted feelings. What does this mean?**

 **The next arc is going to be the training chapter! Here many bonds will be formed and cemented, that's all that I can say.**

 **See you next time! Don't forget to leave a review!**


	4. Training I: Introductions

**A/N: Sorry about the long wait. Just wanted to say that if anybody has been keeping up with the manga recently, that some of the latest revelations have completely shattered the foundation this story was being built up upon. I literally left all thoughts of this story alone for a while, wondering how it was even possible for me to finish what I have started. Then around a month ago I said to hell with the new revelations and started writing. Many Naruto fanfics only followed the beginning of the series then branched off into wonderful new possibilities. Hopefully this story will be similar. If it is possible to incorporate the latest parts of the manga later on then I will think about it, but I will cross that bridge when I get there and carry on the story I started. Here's the first half of the next chapter that might have gotten a little too long.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Naruto stopped and took in the scenery around him as he put his hands on his hips and inhaled deeply. The smell and feel of open air was incredibly refreshing for the fourteen year old compared to his regular underground adventures. _I really need to get out more._ He thought as he gazed around at the large mud pit that all the recruits had been brought to. To put it simply it was an incredibly large hole in the ground that led Naruto to wonder how on earth they found the time and resources to achieve such a thing. It wasn't even a plausible safe haven from titans. If Wall Rose fell, which hopefully it never would, then it was not entirely impossible that some titans would somehow fall over the edges to feast on the trainees that waited below.

But that wasn't important. What was important was that Naruto had finally gotten into the training camp along with all his other siblings since Mikasa, Eren and Armin had all finally grown old enough to join along with him. They were one step closer to their dream. Naruto had promised them, all three of his siblings, that they would see what lay outside the walls. It didn't matter how they got to see it, whether it was just the four of them or if they would go along with the Survey Corps. Naruto had promised, and he never broke his promises.

Unfortunately, Eren had a secondary objective as well: kill as many titans as possible while exploring. It seemed that Carla's death had a negative effect on the boy in that regard. Naruto couldn't express how thankful he was that Mikasa and Armin were only excited about the exploring part. The golden haired boy would much rather avoid titans while exploring as much as possible. But it wouldn't hurt if they brought down a few titans here and there to make it easier for everyone else. As far as the fourteen year old was concerned, only three titans mattered. The massive behemoth that tore down the wall, the armoured brute that smashed through the gate of Shiganshina, and the smiling monstrosity that had eaten Hiruzen. Naruto clenched his fist at the reminder. Those titans were the ones he was training to kill. He wouldn't hold back should he ever see them again.

But the golden haired boy knew that it would take some time before he would be able to go head to head with those inhuman beasts. He still had a lot to learn. Another thing Naruto had told Eren was the condition that they would only leave the walls was only if all three of his siblings were capable of killing or at least avoiding titans. Not a minute before that, no matter how powerful Naruto would be at that point in time. Naruto knew he couldn't keep them safe in such a hostile environment if they weren't at least capable of taking care of themselves and he would never forgive himself either if something happened to them.

 _It's a good thing that we were finally accepted in here._ Naruto mused as he looked around once more. If they hadn't been accepted this time then they would have been delayed for another year in their plans and the fourteen year old didn't fancy that idea very much.

Naruto found himself quite surprised by the amount of recruits milling around and began pondering why they all joined. The place was simply massive and yet it was filled with a surprisingly large amount of people. One would think that there would be a lot more soldiers if people were this enthusiastic about entering training.

"We're here, Naruto. We're finally here."

The golden haired boy turned to his little brother before he patted him on the head affectionately. Joining the training was a fundamental step forward in Eren's life. "You got that right Eren. How does it feel to finally start? Excited much?"

The golden haired boy smiled as a large grin lit up Eren's face.

"Yeah, of course!" Eren replied eagerly before a thoughtful expression took its place.

 _That look doesn't suit him._

"Will we still be able to train though?"

 _Why was I expecting that?_ Naruto sighed. His brother was addicted to training and the golden haired boy was no longer sure if Eren did it to learn or if it was just for fun. _Oh well, let's answer that question._

Naruto lashed out suddenly with a punch and was pleased when his brother reflexively ducked. He nodded in approval. "Certainly Eren. We'll find time. I can't have my little brother going lax now can I?"

The green eyed boy scoffed as he crossed his arms. "As if I'm going to slack."

"You're slacking right now, arrogant potato sack." Naruto pointed out as he grabbed his brother in a headlock and began ruffling his hair. He loved teasing his little brother and it was sort of a running tradition between them to always try to catch the other off guard. As it was, Eren still had a long way to go.

"Guys, maybe we should calm down a little?" Armin suggested timidly as he appeared between the two larger boys. "We're attracting a lot of attention."

The golden haired boy considered the request briefly. It made a lot of sense, especially coming from Armin, yet he couldn't help but feel a little bit of disappointment. Despite how much he had managed to teach Armin in the past years, the boy refused to gain even an ounce of confidence in his tiny body. Heck, the little guy had knocked out a neighbourhood bully a few weeks back! He sighed once again as he draped an arm over his youngest sibling's shoulder.

"Listen here Armin. What have I told you about your 'little' confidence issue?"

The whiskered boy almost burst out laughing as the small blond twiddled his thumbs uncertainly before looking at him with wide and terrified eyes. "Um, to work on it?"

"So what's wrong? There are a lot of new people here to get to know. Why don't you introduce yourself?" Naruto suggested. Armin was the smartest of the trio by far, but the boy usually ceased contributing once the planning started to turn into something practical.

"I'm not like you or Eren, Naruto. You guys are naturally confident. I think I was born to be a recluse. Nature's way of balancing itself out." Armin admitted grudgingly. "It makes sense when you think about it."

And it did in some sort of twisted way. But Naruto wasn't going to let Armin know that. To lighten the mood he scoffed. Armin looked up in surprise.

"Don't lump me in the same category as that idiot. There's confident and then there's stupid. Eren's as stupid as you can get." Naruto stated arrogantly as he pointed a thumb back at the brunette.

"Hey! I'm not stupid!"

Eren's indignant shout had Armin giggling beside a laughing Naruto. The golden haired boy glanced down at the giggling child beneath him. Armin was so vulnerable compared to the other his other siblings that Naruto felt a little overprotective of the small blond. But he was serious about wanting Armin to raise his confidence. He began eyeing all the people close by to try and judge which would be good friends for Armin, friends that would also take care of the small blond in his place. A sharp poke in his side however, prevented him from any further examination of potential candidates.

"I know what you're doing Naruto. And I think we should discuss this somewhere else." Eren whispered in his elder brother's ear. _Huh, he's observant when he needs to be._

He carried on searching for a moment before pointing to two boys that were laughing together. Well, they would do for now. _Beware the silent types, they tend to hide things_. Then again Naruto hid a lot of things yet he could still be loud. _At least they're laughing together._ "There Armin, those two look friendly. Go over and say hello."

"But I-" Armin tried to protest.

Naruto shushed him by putting a finger to his lips and looking Armin straight in the eye despite their height difference. "Training. Confidence. Go." When Armin looked at him unsurely the fourteen year old gave his little brother a soft nudge in the direction of the laughing boys.

Naruto smiled gently as the smaller blond swallowed nervously before going on his way.

The two brothers then stood side by side with crossed arms as they watched their little brother go. Eren elbowed his elder brother once he was sure Armin was out of earshot. "You know you can't choose friends for Armin right?" Eren whispered.

Naruto shrugged as he kept his eyes on the small blond. He knew about that fact of course, but it wouldn't stop him from trying, that was for sure. His eyes narrowed even further as Armin neared the two boys who had quietened upon Armin's approach. He grunted once in acknowledgement to Eren. He may not know a lot about friends, but he was incredibly observant when it came to anything negative or hostile.

"Yeah, but I can try Eren. You don't know what it's like in the Underworld, you literally can't trust anyone. You can get into good partnerships though, if you know how to look for them.

"Oh yeah about that, can you try to stop coming back with ripped clothes and blood? I know you heal quickly but Mikasa's going to kill you if she finds out you go into the Underworld, especially alone. It's also surprising how many times you keep replacing your clothes. I'm not okay with you going down there either but I can't really stop you."

Naruto looked sadly at his brother. "Ah well, I already told you there are a lot of people that need help down there didn't I? And like I said please don't tell Mikasa. Either she has a heart attack from worry, kills me for risking my life, or maybe adds both you and Armin to the list as well for knowing but not informing her."

Eren shivered. "I get that." A thought suddenly struck Eren. "Or maybe she's going to cry and beg you to stop going?"

Both boys shared a look before bursting out laughing. Mikasa didn't do crying.

The thought of a crying Mikasa sobered Naruto up a little though. "Hopefully she doesn't. I probably wouldn't be able to take it."

Eren blinked.

Naruto looked insulted. "I have a weak heart you know!"

Eren snorted in laughter. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen. If the others in the Underworld found out that the Underworld's Ba-"

He was stopped by a hand to his mouth. "Eren Eren, don't say my title out in the open. There are ears everywhere." Naruto chided as he whispered in the green eyed boy's ear.

Eren nodded and looked a little regretful at his mistake.

"So, are you planning on telling Mikasa anytime soon before she finds out?" Eren asked a little awkwardly in an effort to change the subject.

The golden haired boy entered a thoughtful pose for a moment. "Maybe after we get settled down in training here. I still need to try and fix my schedule for the next few weeks." Naruto blinked. "Speaking of which, where is Mikasa?"

It was Eren's turn to shrug. "She's usually glued to you. If need her I just look for golden hair. You're not hard to find when you're not hiding." Naruto grinned, his brother was as straightforward as ever.

Naruto shrugged again. "Didn't notice that."

Eren's green eyed gaze settled on Naruto's blankly as the brunette raised an eyebrow. "You? Not noticing something? Who are you and what have you done with my brother!?" The thirteen year old demanded.

Naruto laughed as he grabbed his little brother into another headlock and messed up his hair. "Come on, enough of this." Naruto let his little brother as they turned to watch where Armin had set off. In truth he had noticed Mikasa's closeness to him but he didn't question it. Among the siblings they were admittedly the closest and he figured it was just a sister thing, wasn't it? Ah well, he didn't have too much experience with family in that sense so it probably didn't matter too much.

Naruto looked back up to check up on Armin and released Eren from his hold as he spotted something he didn't really like.

"Hey, what happened?" Eren was obviously a little confused next to him but Naruto decided to ignore him for now.

"Oi, answer me."

Naruto ignored his brown haired brother for a moment, the golden haired boy was more concerned with the Armin's new companions. One of them was apparently very welcoming, that blinding smile was a dead giveaway. The other boy however, was scowling and radiated an arrogance that Naruto found slightly irritating even though he'd met others even more full of themselves. Unless the other boy had spent three years in the Underworld and lived to tell the tale then Naruto saw no reason for a boy his age to have that kind of arrogance. It rubbed him the wrong way. Furthermore the scowling boy had been laughing a minute ago, what was with the sudden negative vibe? What could _Armin,_ of all possible people, do that could sour someone's mood. Maybe if it was Eren, the brute had an understandable lack of friendship skills due to his violent nature, but this was _Armin_.

"Eren, go check on what's happening over there." Naruto ordered calmly even as he stared at the scene. He could hear what was being said and it was not endearing the red haired brat any more than previously. From the corner of his eye Naruto noticed Eren start moving in on the group. Satisfied that he wouldn't have to interfere for now, the golden haired boy returned to listening in.

"What's with all the girls that go around here? You all practically fall head over heels every single time you see me. Get lost you stuttering fangirl." The red haired boy snarled before he crossed his arms and turned to walk away.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. _You're not that good looking. Wait, fangirl?_

The red haired boy's companion gaped in shock at Armin's hurt expression before turning suddenly and grabbing his friend's shoulder. "Jean. I don't think that was very nice."

 _Aha, so you're name's Jean. Good to know._

Jean shrugged the hand off as he continued to walk away. "Stay out of it Marco, this loser isn't worth our time."

Naruto frowned. The urge to retaliate against the other boy was steadily growing as his protective side took in the hurt on Armin's face. He contained it however as losing his cool was unbecoming of a skilled shinobi. The moment that you lost your temper one of two things could happen, either you became much more deadly with the extra force and viciousness granted to you, or you went berserk and your mind would become too clouded to think properly. And since shinobi were meant to be masters of deceit and built to outsmart each other, losing the ability to think straight almost always proved fatal.

Eren was not on the same wavelength as him however, the green eyed boy charged towards the group with fury lighting his face. That was one thing about his little brother that Naruto both admired and hated. Even after all their lessons in controlling emotions, if any of Eren's family was in danger the boy instantly gave way to anger. At least Eren could still think straight while in a rage, the anger just gave him more power to use. _Emotionally powered bull._ The golden haired boy chuckled to himself for a moment before he sighed as he made his way over to them. Better to act peacemaker. He didn't want the other boy to get beaten up too badly now did he? Okay, maybe he did but that was beside the point.

He winced a little as he watched Eren's fist smash into Jean's unsuspecting jaw. If there was one thing about Eren that Naruto could praise, it was that Eren hit incredibly hard. It rang true when Jean dropped to the ground in a daze.

Naruto decided to hurry a little before someone seriously got hurt. He doubted Eren would, the kid was a juggernaut. Seriously, what twelve year old in their right mind would accept the training he had put Eren through? Mikasa's training aimed to make her impossible to hit while she struck with deadly precision. Armin's training consisted of the opponent never being able to lay a hand on him. Eren, well, the green eyed boy was made to sure he could dish out more damage than he absorbed. And that was saying something because curiosity got the better of Naruto one day and he had tried to find Eren's limit. Mikasa and Armin had been horrified at Eren's condition at the end of the day and Naruto couldn't really say he blamed them. His little brother looked like he had been stepped on by a titan, and then jumped upon by said titan for good measure.

After two more powerful blows collided into Jean, Naruto finally decided to intervene. Normal thirteen year olds should not be subject to such abuse. Eren was the only exception to that rule. All it took was the promise of killing titans to motivate the green eyed boy. If Naruto didn't know better it could be called a borderline obsession.

Eren managed to land one last hit before Naruto finally separated the two and he sighed again. Hopefully they didn't get in too much trouble for fighting on their first day. To make it worse, they hadn't even been fully accepted into the ranks yet and they were already fighting. _So much for comrades._

* * *

Eren felt something tighten in his chest as Armin's hurt face came into view. It was different from when seeing Naruto coming home injured. In a way he knew that Naruto generally recovered quickly enough and Mikasa was smart enough to completely avoid danger. But Armin had none of their qualities. Whereas he, Mikasa and Naruto each had their own way of coping with danger, Armin had brains. Eren understood the incredible use of brains, but there was a reason for a skull. The brains had to be protected as they were incredibly vulnerable otherwise.

Anger swelled up as he felt all his muscles tighten in anticipation. Dispose of the threat. Before he even registered what he was doing, the green eyed boy found himself rapidly closing the distance with the newest person on his very short list of hated people, so short that it was limited to one person. As the distance between the two of them shortened, Eren began running through all the available options that he had. _Back exposed. Injure the spine. Too much damage. Tackle to ground. Risk of breaking ribs. Too much damage. Punch to face_. It seemed like an oddly satisfying thought. Now Eren's problem was how to get the red haired boy to face him. Well, that was easy.

"Who the hell do you think you are!?" Eren bellowed suddenly. Naruto wouldn't approve of him being so noisy, but the green eyed boy found it absolutely invigorating to yell. It was like he was somehow able to channel a lot more energy when he made noise.

The shout served its purpose as the red haired boy's head turned in surprise.

Eren couldn't keep the slight grin from forming as his fist slammed into the other boy's face. That had to have been the most satisfying cracking sound the thirteen year old had ever heard in his life. He briefly wondered what it would feel like to punch a titan like that. Eren mentally scoffed. There was no way anyone could possibly punch a titan, right. Even he wasn't that suicidal. The green eyed boy then curiously watched as the red haired boy dropped to the ground with a bewildered look on his face. It was silly and hilarious at the same time.

"Wait! Calm down please! We can talk about this!" The red haired boy's freckled companion pleaded.

Eren ignored the voice of the other boy pleading at his side. It wasn't his concern. He was here to punish the red haired boy who dared to hurt Armin. That didn't mean that he wasn't watching the other boy from the corner of his eyes, Naruto would beat him with a stick if he did that. Where did his brother get the idea for that cursed stick anyway? It was both brutally effective and painful all at the same time.

"Eren!"

The thirteen year old blinked then and reacted to the small voice of Armin. Wondering what his little brother could possibly want at the moment. Couldn't Armin see that he was busy punching someone? It hit him a few seconds later that Armin was once again opposed to violence, even if it was in his own defense. Those few seconds almost caused Eren to miss the other boy finally recovering from his earlier blow and jumping to his feet.

"I should be asking you that!" The boy yelled as he leapt at Eren with his fists swinging.

The green eyed boy immediately spotted so many flaws in his opponent's fighting style, or stance, if it could even be called that. This boy didn't know how to fight. Eren wouldn't call himself an expert, but he considered himself experienced enough to be able to judge other people's fighting capabilities. The red haired boy's foot placement didn't match with what his arms were doing for one thing. Furthermore there was no tension in his legs for quick or powerful movements. His punching was also detrimental to his shoulders and back, leaving them open while overstretching them. He also tended to block his vision with every punch he tried to land...

Eren decided to stop analysing his opponent right there. The inexperienced fool wasn't worth his time; it was only child's play to dodge the randomly swinging arms. After a few more glaring openings, Eren decided that the red haired boy was literally asking to get hit. Being the good hearted fellow he was, Eren happily obliged. A few well aimed punches of his own made sure to open up a few cuts on the other boy's face as well as bust up his nose. _Let's see you keep that nose up in the air now that it's broken._

"Okay, that's enough." Eren heard his brother command as he felt a hand close around the back of his neck. When did Naruto arrive? _Sneaky boy._ The green eyed boy watched amusedly as the red haired boy was lifted in a similar fashion to him in Naruto's other arm. His elder brother held them apart in the air as the two boy's glared at each other.

"Now, let's restart this and get to know each other peacefully shall we?"

 _There is just no way that someone can fake not being angry at anyone else like this._ Seriously, his brother was acting like some random passer by that had decided to stop a fight. Oh well, he would listen to Naruto.

Just as he decided to stop fighting however, Eren felt spit land in his face and looked straight at the smirking boy hanging in front of him. _He did not just-_ The green eyed boy retaliated with a quick jab that caused the other boy's lip to burst. "Take that!" Eren shouted vindictively.

"Idiots." Eren heard his brother sigh.

The green eyed boy barely registered what his brother said before his forehead connected harshly with the other boy's and the lights in front of him flashed suddenly to accompany the spike of pain that came from the impact. Eren blinked rapidly trying to clear his vision even as his elder brother started speaking once again. _Screw this._ Eren swore as he clutched his head in pain. _At least that idiot got hurt as well._

"Will you two stop now? Unless of course you would like to deal with me." Naruto suggested further.

 _Like hell I'll do that._

Eren went limp in Naruto's hold instantly. Training with his elder brother was hell in itself, the thirteen year old didn't want to make it any worse. The phantom pain tingled across his body, reaffirming his decision. He didn't hate the other boy enough to warrant a beating.

Eren stuck his tongue out at Jean when he noticed the other boy copying him and also hanging limp in Naruto's grip. It seemed as if the other boy had finally realized that they were both being held aloft by a single person. It said a lot about Naruto's strength.

"Excellent." And just like that Eren found himself dropped unceremoniously onto the ground while Naruto dusted his hands against each other. _Jerk._

"Now both of you stand up and properly introduce yourselves." Naruto ordered as he stood over the both of them. "I'm sure our mother taught you better manners than that, Eren." The green eyed boy felt his cheeks heat up on the ground in embarrassment as his golden haired brother tutted with mock disappointment.

Eren had almost always been the oldest child in the family, which is why he jumped at the opportunity to have an older brother. It definitely had its perks and Eren felt like he had never been closer to anyone in his life. Grisha was far to busy, Carla was overbearing and Mikasa was not exactly similar enough to him that they enjoyed their time together. This was why even though the disappointment was obviously faked, it didn't help matters any as Eren wanted to make Naruto proud of him. It was one other goal he now had besides exploring outside the walls and killing titans. He still hated those lumbering giants of flesh, but a proud smile from his elder brother simply made his day. The green eyed boy could find no other person to idolize more.

"Fine." The brown haired boy grumbled as he stood and dusted himself off from the brief exchange. He had only gotten hurt anyway when Naruto had stepped in, otherwise he would be completely untouched. The thirteen year old then reluctantly held out his hand. "Eren Yeager, nice to meet you." He barely ground out, the end coming off almost as a growl. He couldn't help it, usually strangers never spoke again after trading fists.

Naruto smacked him on the back of the head for good measure. "At least have the courtesy to pretend to be nice." His elder brother admonished. Eren rolled his eyes in response.

"Jean Kirstein." The other boy that lay on the ground spat as he glared at Eren. The brown haired boy noticed immediately that if not for Naruto's cerulean eyes watching them intently then Jean wouldn't have even bothered with returning Eren's greeting.

"Now what's your problem with me!?" Jean demanded angrily once the introductions were out of the way.

 _And here goes the loudmouth._ Eren sighed heavily.

Eren didn't really see why Jean was still so angry. The fight was over. Sure, Eren's face didn't have a burst lip, Eren didn't have a bleeding nose, a bruising face, or all of those little cuts- Eren blinked. Okay, maybe Eren couldn't really blame the red haired boy for being so angry. If he looked at it from the red haired boy's perspective then Eren guessed that he really had come out of nowhere. But that didn't mean that Jean was innocent. Far from it in fact.

"What's your problem with Armin?" Eren shot back as he felt his earlier anger returning. Armin's frightened face was still clearly engraved into his mind.

Jean scoffed. "What, she's your sister?"

"Yes, she is." Eren replied without missing a beat. "And you were making her cry." It wasn't precisely the truth but Eren didn't care. Armin was more of a sister figure than Mikasa was anyway, she acted like his mother even when she clearly wasn't.

Jean looked momentarily caught off guard at the revelation. Eren had a hunch that the red haired boy had just meant what he said sarcastically. Then again who would have guessed that Armin and he were related? The big, green eyed, brown haired, violent brute was the timid little blond's brother? Eren himself would find it hard to believe as well. _I wonder what would go through his head if he saw Mikasa and I called her my sister as well._

"Yeah, about that, I'm interested as well in what you said that made my sister cry."

Eren turned to the side only now remembering that Naruto was there as well. Apparently Naruto had caught onto what he was doing and had decided to play on with it. His brother truly was observant. Furthermore Naruto had his arms crossed in an intimidating gesture as the golden haired boy towered over Jean.

Jean looked even more confused and slightly afraid at this point as his brain absorbed all the new information. The red haired boy unconsciously backed away from threatening visage of Naruto. Due to this it took a few more seconds before the question registered and a scowl settled back on his face.

"Um, I'm not-" Armin started, but immediately quieted once it was clear that no one was listening.

"Yeah? Well tell your sister to back off. I have enough girls screaming and following me around like creepy stalkers back from my district. Then when I get here to try and catch a break with other male soldiers I get mobbed again. That sister of yours is the sixteenth in the last thirty minutes." Jean said sourly. "What's worse is that they are all so annoying! I know I look great but this is ridiculous!"

Eren shared a look with Naruto before the two of them burst out laughing. "Yeah, you look great man! I can see why girls go after you!"

"No thanks to you!" Jean spat. "Talk about horrible upbringing. You've got a fangirl, a brawler and an idiot with a big head."

Eren found himself frowning as he felt the surrounding temperature start to drop. It was almost like a gut instinct he had and his first warning was the hair on his body starting to stand on end, the sinking feeling in his stomach wasn't helping any either. The green eyed boy knew only one person capable of inciting such a feeling within him. Eren turned to see his elder brother's golden hair hiding his cerulean blue eyes while the whiskered boy's fists were tightly clenched.

Eren wasn't the only one to notice. Apparently most sounds in the surrounding area seemed to have dimmed and Marco and Armin were fidgeting in fear, even if they were unaware why.

"U-um... Jean..." Marco started, "I think you might want to stop..."

"Shut up Marco, they should hear this." Jean snapped, foolishly forgetting who he was addressing. He didn't notice the impending threat hanging by a thread and blundered on. "Your parents must have been terrible role models don't you think? If you ended up this way then I hate to think how you must have been raised by those stupid..."

Eren's jaw dropped in mixture of horror and rage at what he had just heard. He wondered why Jean had suddenly stopped when he finally noticed that his golden haired brother was not where he was a second ago. Instead Naruto had somehow seemed to just appear next to Jean. Even as they stood side by side, Naruto's body was clearly far more powerful than the red haired boy. Despite his bravado, Eren just couldn't shake off the terrifying presence his brother exuded at the moment. But the worst part was when Naruto spoke. The chilling voice of his elder brother froze all the other boys into place as Jean blanched, finally realizing his mistake.

"Stop talking." Naruto ordered, slowly enough that every word was heard clearly. The voice in itself wasn't the same. It didn't carry the same light and reassuring tone it always had. Instead, it came out as a harsh whisper that carried deadly promise. "Our parents are dead. I never knew mine, Armin's parents disappeared without a trace, Eren's were killed by titans while our sister's parents were murdered. And the old man who raised me, he was far from stupid. He is the only person I know who ran head first towards a titan so we could all get away. The next time you insult any of them, I will throw you over Wall Rose. Am I clear?" Not once did the tone in Naruto's voice change, it came out like a breeze. Provided, it was a very unwelcome and hostile breeze, but it was still a breeze.

With the deadly warning released Naruto finally looked up before turning his head to Jean and the red haired boy felt all the blood drain from his body. Eren felt goose bumps rise on his skin at Naruto's cold gaze. It was like a Panda suddenly gaining the presence of a snake, and the warmth of Naruto's eyes had all but disappeared into a frozen gaze that was incredibly out of place on his elder brother's face.

Before anything else could happen Eren quickly punched his elder brother on the shoulder. "Oi, I think he gets it. Snap out of it."

It was like flipping a switch. The terrifying atmosphere evaporated suddenly and all the normal noise resumed suddenly with no one else seeming to realize what had just happened. Eren saw Naruto blink once and then everything was back to normal. Eren felt a slightly empty feeling in his stomach though, as if his body was ready for a flight response even if there was no longer any danger. Then Eren suddenly realized what had happened, Naruto had been angry, but not enraged enough to waste his power on Jean. That didn't make the warning any less sincere, however.

"Um, you can leave him alone now Naruto." Armin's small voice seemed almost angelic compared to Naruto.

The eldest of the siblings blinked and looked questioningly at the frightened boy next to him as if he wondered how the boy had ended up there before the golden haired boy nodded and stepped away from the boy as if nothing had just transpired. Eren briefly considered that maybe his brother had two or more conflicting personalities.

"You okay Armin?" Naruto asked as he made his way over.

Eren bit back the urge to laugh as Armin nodded and finally chuckled as the small boy beamed when Naruto ruffled Armin's hair. _Attention seeker._

"Hello, um, I'm Marco." An unsure voice interrupted slowly.

Eren turned towards the frightened looking boy and sighed heavily. So much for setting a good first impression. He wasn't sure how normal people would respond to a stranger appearing out of nowhere and then beating the light out of their friends. The brunette was sure he would either be angry, or frightened if it had been Naruto in the red haired boy's place. The last thing Eren was expecting was for them to be friendly. _One of them anyway._ He quickly amended

"Sorry about that Marco. I'm Eren by the way. Things... may have gotten a little out of hand." Eren admitted sheepishly. "It's still his fault though." The green eyed boy added as a stubborn afterthought.

"Eren..." Eren turned to see Naruto scolding him and he mock scowled.

"Oh come on he did!" Eren wanted to hit himself for sounding like a whining kid before he pointed an accusing finger back at Naruto. "And don't look at me like that! I hit him yes, but you broke him!"

Both boys turned to the still shocked Jean who currently wore a stupefied expression on his face. "Fair enough."

Eren laughed at his elder brother's blunt admission and the two shared a high five. The green eyed boy seriously wondered what his life would be like without Naruto. It would probably be an empty existence where he would single mindedly kill titans. Eren shivered. That kind of stupidity would get him killed early.

"But I still think we should start over again." Naruto added. "This was a horrible way to introduce ourselves."

"Huh?" Eren hadn't been paying much attention and answered as best he could.

Naruto sighed. "You really need to work on being observant Eren."

"Alright alright I get it. I'm trying."

Apparently satisfied Naruto turned back to the freckled boy. "Naruto Uzumaki." The golden haired boy pointed a finger at Eren. "These are my younger brothers, Eren Yeager and Armin Arlert."

Eren chuckled at Marco's apparently confused state. "Yeah, people usually say we look nothing alike. Spiky golden hair, smooth blond hair and messy brown hair. Come to think of it we also have a black haired sister."

Marco looked even more confused. "I understand already that none of you may be related, but I thought Armin was also your sister?"

Eren and Naruto shared a look. "Well that's still up for debate."

"Hey!" Arm shouted out looking positively scandalized. "I'm a boy!"

Eren shot a feral grin at the smaller boy. "Are you sure? You sure sound like a girl."

Armin either hadn't caught on that he was being teased because Eren was sure the small blond wouldn't be glaring at him in such a way if he had. If you could call it a glare, the green eyed boy could easily relate Armin's indignant face to a fluffy rabbit.

"Well I'll have you know I am absolutely certain that I am in possession of a pen-"

Naruto muffled whatever was going to be said next by placing a hand over Armin's mouth. "Okay little guy, calm down now. I'm sure only Eren would be stupid enough to realize that you're clearly male." Naruto joked as Armin calmed down.

"You got that right." the small blond replied after pulling off his elder brother's hands.

Eren shot Naruto a betrayed look, before it morphed into a mock scowl when Naruto winked at him over Armin's head. The green eyed boy should have known that Naruto would pull such a stunt. _Shinobi and their deceptions._ Now he had to go say sorry to Armin and look like the bad guy. He was so getting back at the golden haired boy for this.

Turning back to Marco, Eren decided to invite Marco over since it wouldn't hurt anyone and the freckled boy definitely seemed lonely - especially since they had probably stuck Jean into a statue-like state for the foreseeable future. "Don't worry about him." Eren said when Marco glanced back at the still form of the red haired boy. "He'll come around sooner or later and look for you."

With that argument Marco shrugged and fell into step next to the green haired boy as they followed Naruto and Armin.

"Where are we going? We're only supposed to be in this field aren't we?"

The green eyed boy laughed. "Ah, we seem to have lost our sister somewhere in this crowd. It's not something to worry about usually since she's usually stuck keeping me out of trouble or literally stuck to Naruto. Which is why we are slightly concerned about her current whereabouts."

"Hmm, what's her name then?" Marco asked curiously.

Eren couldn't help feeling at ease around Marco. The freckled boy's bubbly personality was contagious and Eren didn't feel the need to be on guard. The green eyed boy also had a feeling that Marco couldn't lie to save his life. "Mikasa Ackerman."

Just as Eren answered a rock found itself painfully bouncing off his forehead with the golden haired culprit laughing ahead of them.

"Constant vigilance!" Naruto shouted.

"Oh shut up!" Eren shot back as he rubbed his head, feeling a little vengeful Eren snatched up the same rock and threw it straight at an unsuspecting Naruto's back. That would show him. Eren was terribly disappointed however when Naruto merely reached behind him and plucked it out of the air without looking. As if that wasn't enough his elder brother threw it back fast enough to connect precisely where the pebble had hit previously, doubling or even tripling the pain as Eren clutched his throbbing head in pain.

"So, she's black haired then? She should be easy to find." Marco interrupted with a smile. "There aren't too many black haired people here."

Eren nodded in agreement, barely taking in that Marco hadn't even batted an eye at the rock exchange. Apparently Marco was already growing accustomed to their antics. _That was quick._ "Not just any black, it stands out as it is pitch black, just like you can spot Naruto's golden hair among all these other blonds."

"Ah, I see. Then is that her?"

Eren turned to face where Marco was pointing and he almost felt his brain short circuit. Everyone was already equipped with the training camp uniform but the pitch black hair that Marco had pointed out was undeniable. The only problem was that Mikasa's long and smooth hair was now incredibly short and spiky up back. It didn't help that Eren was behind her so he could see her pale neck. The hair itself was so fundamentally different but Eren knew no one else with hair as black as Mikasa's. _Was this why she went missing? To cut her hair like that?_ In all fairness it closely resembled a duck's butt from Eren's angle.

Remembering Marco's unanswered question Eren turned to the freckled boy with his mouth slightly agape. "I... Guess?" He answered unsurely. "Follow me, let's ask her about that haircut before Naruto and Armin see it." The green eyed boy almost ordered as he jogged towards his sister.

Eren didn't need to look behind him to know that Marco was following without hesitation. _I think I can see how his friendship with Jean worked._ But the thirteen year old turned back to a much more important matter. He didn't mind Mikasa's hair short, but this was ridiculous. _And what's she doing just standing there?_

"Hey Mikasa!" Eren called out as he neared his sister. He frowned when she didn't answer. Mikasa never ignored him, unless she was considerably angered. But he hadn't done anything to warrant that, as far as he knew anyway. Then again Eren's judgement regarding his sister wasn't reliable and didn't really count for much. They hit heads more often than not. "Mikasa!" Eren shouted once more as he pulled up right next to her. She hadn't even turned to face him yet.

Eren placed a hand on her shoulder, ready to force her to face him. "Oi Mikasa, why aren't-"

In that moment as the person whirled around, Eren noticed one crucial fact that he shouldn't have missed. Naruto would kill him for not noticing such a glaringly obvious fact. Whoever this person was, there was no signature red scarf around the person's neck.

Another thing that Eren noticed as he hastily pulled away from the incoming fist, was that this person was most certainly not female. The green eyed boy barely managed to pull his hand away from the shoulder before it was almost twisted off as a follow up to the earlier punch. The other male was fast. If not for Eren's extensive training, he was sure that he would have gotten hit.

Thankfully the other boy stopped his assault as he glared at Eren. "What do you want?"

Eren carefully eyed the other boy who was also seemed older than him. From what he could gather the boy knew how to fight, it was easily seen in his stance. Other than that it was clear it wasn't Mikasa yet the resemblance was definitely there. The older male's face was more on the feminine side. But what captured Eren's attention were the deep, pitch black eyes that glared back at him. Only Mikasa had those eyes. Was it possible this was a relative of Mikasa? If he was a relative then how closely were they related? Eren found that he didn't really want to know.

"Our apologies, we thought you were someone else." Marco cut in from the side, diffusing the tension a little once again.

"Hn."

"I thought you were my sister." Eren clarified cautiously. He wouldn't relax until the other boy did, he was not a fool any longer.

"Do I look like a girl to you?"

Eren wisely decided not to answer that particular question. _He does look feminine though._

"Hn. If we are done here then we can I go?"

"That we can." Eren grunted back. He wasn't going to ease up until the other boy did, and it was obvious that the older boy was eyeing him the same way.

Their eyes met and locked onto each other, both daring the other to make the first move. Pitch black met flaming green and Eren was strangely reminded of what it was like to argue with an irate Mikasa.

The stand off continued for a good half a minute before something caught the older boy's eye. Eren glanced to the side and caught sight of what distracted the older male and blinked. As if from some form of hidden signal both of them suddenly ignored each other in favour of running towards another fight that was already underway. Eren once again felt a need to defend a sibling as Mikasa had somehow roped herself into an intense fight with another girl. How had she managed that on the first day? Mikasa wasn't the type to get into fights, heck she hardly showed what she was feeling most of the time. And now she was in a fight? And not just any fight, fists were flying. To make it worse the black haired Mikasa look a like he had been about to fight was also heading towards them, whether to break up the commotion or join in was yet to be seen. If the older boy running alongside him was on his way to help Mikasa's opponent then he and Eren would end up against each other after all. Where was Naruto when you needed him?

Behind the two boys Marco scratched his head, wondering what had just happened. Shrugging to himself he followed the path of the other two boys, there was one intense catfight going on and any teenage male wouldn't want to miss it. Except for Jean, but the red haired boy was probably standing stock still so he didn't count. Both Eren and the other boy looked like they were joining the fight but that didn't matter much either, a catfight was a catfight.

* * *

Mikasa cursed to herself as she carefully weaved through the crowd of bodies swarming around her. It had only been a small lapse in her concentration and then all three of her brothers had disappeared. For the first time in the last few years not one of them was in her sights. It would have been perfectly reasonable if Armin went missing, the shy and timid boy was small enough and quiet enough to hide in plain sight. But Eren was a different matter, she could bet that the brown haired boy was involved in a fight of some sort at least, it was in his nature.

She smiled inwardly as her thoughts strayed once again to Naruto. After all the time they had spent together they had become surprisingly close to one another, even going so far as to have their own inside jokes which even Armin and Eren weren't aware off. She knew him well enough to know that he was hiding something from her but try as she might Mikasa couldn't for the life of her figure it out. She'd tried following him once and was extremely disappointed to discover that she had only been following a clone that had been guarding her. She only hoped whatever Naruto was doing wasn't something dangerous, her heart had almost stopped once or twice when he had been experimenting with Fuinjutsu (Sealing Techniques) and the paper he had been drawing on suddenly exploded, violently. It was only thanks to his quick reflexes that Naruto was still with them. She had forbidden him to experiment further unless she understood exactly what he was doing so that she could prevent any possibly fatal mistakes. For someone so smart, Mikasa's golden haired brother could easily overlook some very obvious aspects of his work.

It also worked the other way around. Naruto knew almost everything about her and at times it was like he even knew what made her tick. He knew when she was angry, when she was happy, when she wanted something and when she didn't. He could read her like an open book sometimes and it was embarrassing to say the least. It was quite a feat when you considered that Mikasa's facial expressions hardly changed on a regular basis. Naruto understood why and didn't mind it. At that thought Mikasa frowned. She had known Naruto for less time than Eren yet the green eyed boy acted as if he hardly knew Mikasa at all. Yes, he would protect her as his sister but that was it. It was almost like he had gotten used to Mikasa around and agreeing with him that she doubted he could tell when she was against him. It was almost like she was simply an emotionless possession of his. And that hurt. Mikasa could take part of the blame for that since she did come across emotionless, but even Armin went out of his way to make time with her.

With Naruto however, he could tell what was on her mind even before she did. It didn't help that she was so much closer to him than Eren. Ever since Naruto arrived both she and Eren had gravitated away from each other but both somehow ended up drawn to Naruto so she couldn't blame their golden haired brother. She wouldn't give away his company for the world. All those little things Naruto did that were unnoticeable to others meant so much to her and gave her a light feeling in her chest that almost always forced her to smile, no matter how small that smile was. It was an unexplainable feeling, she didn't even notice she was smiling until her elder brother would flash her a successful grin.

In the past two years Mikasa had taken to sitting down with Naruto as he studied Fuinjutsu as a way to spend more time with him. In her defense, it was a very interesting subject. It wasn't just a ploy to spend more time with him. Okay, maybe just a little bit. She found the concept simply fascinating, even if she couldn't actively contribute due to lack of chakra. Her inability to use chakra didn't hinder her on the other hand, she could still format and analyze or create new seals that Naruto could use or to simply check his work. It was up to Naruto however to apply the chakra. So far their house was under enough protections that Naruto felt comfortable enough to leave his siblings unattended. Even under titan attack.

Furthermore was the new language that seemed compulsory within the multitude of scrolls Hiruzen had gifted Naruto. It was intriguing, especially since it came natural to Mikasa and the words simply slid off both her tongue and Naruto's. Yet another thing they could relate too. At the moment all four of them understood enough of the language to communicate flawlessly with each other. The finer parts of the language however were lost on Eren, especially the written part of it. Mikasa wondered whether it was too difficult for him or if Eren simply didn't care. Armin on the other hand had practically dissected the language in on itself with all that he could gather from Hiruzen's lessons.

Mikasa's dark eyes darted around the training field once again, searching for any sign of her elder brother. Among her brothers he was the easiest to spot and would probably be somewhere near Eren. A flash of gold suddenly caught her eye and Mikasa swerved towards it. Who else had spiky golden hair? As far as she knew, only Naruto did. She quickly enclosed the distance between them and caught the person in an embrace from behind. It was a habit she had developed in the past year and Naruto didn't seem to mind whenever she did. He just laughed it off and Mikasa would breathe in his scent through his back as his body shook. All that was needed now was for him to turn around and ask where she'd been in his slowly deepening voice, just one other thing that only she noticed.

Whoever the person was however, it most definitely wasn't Naruto. Last Mikasa looked, her elder brother had been male. The recipient of her hug didn't look too happy about it either.

"What do you want?" The girl snapped as she spun around to glare at Mikasa.

Mikasa blinked as she took a small step back. "Sorry, I thought you were someone else."

"Yeah? Who?" the girl barked. "You can't just go hugging everyone you see!"

Mikasa studied the older girl closely for a moment assessing her threat level. It was an honest mistake. Really this was the very first time that following golden hair had proven to be ineffective. Now that she looked closer the older girl's golden hair was done up into a style resembling four pigtails. Normally Mikasa would just carry on apologizing until she was forgiven. She simply didn't know how to socialize properly but she didn't care. She spent most of her time with her brothers and all of them were already used to her attitude. But Mikasa didn't like the venom in the other girl's tone. It was unwarranted and seemed overdone, like the other girl was over reacting. It stirred something within the black haired girl that she couldn't quite place. Deciding to ignore it however, Mikasa schooled her features back into her usual stoic appearance.

"My brother." Mikasa replied calmly. "I thought you were my brother."

The taller girl scoffed as she eyed Mikasa's raven black hair. Siblings didn't just have hair colours on opposite ends of the spectrum. "Tch. So now your brother has spiky golden hair as well."

Mikasa's dead expression didn't shift in the slightest. "Yes, as a matter of fact he does."

"So what are you? Little girl wants her big bad brother to keep her company? You must be all alone here then." The golden haired girl sneered back, trying to a rise from Mikasa as she placed a hand on her hip. "Ever think that he may not want you pestering him? Or maybe it's because you can't handle being all alone in this big world, can you little girl." The older girl added in a haughty tone.

Mikasa showed no outward reaction to the other girl's taunt except for the clenching of her fists. It was a subtle thing that she doubted the other girl noticed. She didn't care about the insult at her, but the other girl had sown some doubt in her head. Was she pestering Naruto? Did her elder brother not want to spend time with her? The thought had her feeling cold and she found she did not want to know the answer. She would not be able to take it if Naruto really felt that way around her. Her elder brother hadn't yet shown anything to prove that he thought of her as a nuisance. But then again, hadn't Naruto explained that shinobi were trained to deceive? What if he was annoyed by her presence but only refused to show it? The thought was so disheartening that Mikasa forced herself to crush it. She didn't want to believe for a moment longer that Naruto saw her the way Eren did, as an unwanted guest along for the ride.

"It is none of your business. Nice meeting you." With that Mikasa made to leave but what the girl said next froze Mikasa in her tracks.

"Oh, just so you know, it might be better if you just ditch your brother."

"What?" Mikasa asked coldly, the underlying threat to shut up clear as day as she turned back to face the older girl who now had her arms crossed with a smirk on her face.

The older girl didn't seem to understand the tone as she mistook it as genuine interest. "Brothers are all useless and dangerous. You're better off without them. They never really care about you and only use you for their own interests. Try it, leave the idiots alone for a month and when you come back they would never have noticed your absence, let alone care for you anymore. They're worthless like that. You're better off on your own. Trust me on this."

"I don't believe you." Mikasa stated as calmly as she could, her mouth was by now hidden behind her red scarf, effectively masking how her jaw was tightly shut.

"Excuse me?" The golden haired girl gave her a disbelieving look.

"I said I don't believe you." Mikasa repeated in the exact same monotone as earlier, but it was getting much harder to keep up her normally stoic facade. "My brothers aren't what you say they are."

The older girl scoffed. "So what are they like then? Kind, loving heroes who spend time making their sister happy? Sorry if I find that hard to picture." The sarcasm rolled off the girl in waves. "All brothers are the same."

Mikasa gained a lot of insight into the older girl at that moment. The older girl had her own brothers and Mikasa was sure that they were very different from her own. Especially since the older girl didn't think very highly of brothers in general. The idea then popped into Mikasa's head at how to get even with the other girl. She gave a small smile that Mikasa was sure told the older girl everything was true.

Mikasa relished it when the smile dropped from the golden haired girl's face in disbelief. Not letting it up, Mikasa pressed on her advantage.

"My brothers aren't like yours. They're perfect just the way they are. They care about me and I can tell you now that they will always come to help me, not that they need to. But it's the thought that counts."

The air seemed to still around the two girls as they locked eyes. The tides had turned and they both knew it. But the other girl wasn't about to give up.

"Then they are still playing you. How can you be sure they even care about you? One of my brothers couldn't care less about me and the other tried to kill me more than once! My friend's brother even killed their entire family! How can you say you're brothers are any better!?" The golden haired girl demanded angrily.

Mikasa then did something she never thought she would ever do, she smirked. "Well I can understand why you're brothers treat you that way, just looking at you, I don't blame them. Who could stand such an uptight bitch as a sister?"

The slap rang out loud and clear as Mikasa's head snapped to the side. Mikasa hadn't expected that. She momentarily stayed in that position as she slowly turned to face the now enraged golden haired girl. Mikasa hadn't even seen the girl move, indicating she was fast. The black haired girl didn't want to get to retaliate as much as possible, less their verbal confrontation escalate out of control.

"Take that back you little bitch. I don't know what the hell you do to your brothers, whoring yourself out to them or what, but I doubt they'll interfere if I shove your mouth full of dirt." The older girl then grinned maliciously. "Then maybe I can seduce them, after all they're probably just after a pretty fac-"

Screw the consequences. The raven haired girl saw red. The thought of any of her brothers doing anything with this girl was akin to blasphemy in Mikasa's eyes and so she cut off the other girl's tirade with a well placed punch strong enough for the older girl to stumble backwards from the force of the blow. Who slapped anyway? Unless you were slapping an explosive tag on someone's face, slapping in itself was not as effective as a punch. Slapping a tag then leaping backwards as their head exploded looked much cooler though. But seriously, if you wanted to really hurt someone then why waste time with slapping.

Mikasa then ducked suddenly in surprise as the older girl returned with blindingly fast strikes. They were simple enough to avoid but the speed and skill the other girl displayed in that short period of time put Mikasa on guard. The girl had nothing on Naruto, but was still moving on par with Mikasa herself. And that called for some cause for concern. Was someone teaching her as well? How far along was she trained? Mikasa however chose to put those questions on hold as the other girl was not leaving any openings and Mikasa was forced on the defensive. Not for long however, as Mikasa decided to be a little rougher stopped giving ground, starting to match the other girl blow for blow. She was not losing this fight against some cheap and petty girl.

Despite herself, Mikasa had to admit that the other girl was good. The black haired girl may not have mastered her style yet, but she had been confident enough that she could avoid most huts. Until now, some of the girl's punches were getting through her guard and grazing her cheeks. But Mikasa was giving as good as she got, barely managing to scrape the other girl's skin but it was a start.

She would never admit it, but she was enjoying this fight. Despite the tension between her and the other girl she was happy to have such an even fight. Armin, enough said. Eren, his style varied from hers and she was still far above him in fighting capability. They were even in raw strength, which was strange since they were both stronger than average, but Mikasa regularly held back against him because she was afraid of him getting angry or frustrated with her. It tended to happen every single time she proved herself more talented or skilled than him at something, which tended to happen a lot. And Naruto simply outclassed her in fighting. Her elder brother only fought enough to make her push herself but it was obvious he held back a lot when they sparred, which was why such a fight was a refreshing take for once in a while.

The other girl's style was also interesting to say the least. Mikasa wasn't going all out yet, preferring to break down the way the other girl fought. Mikasa noticed that the other girl relied more on her upper body to fight and was more coordinated in doing so, using turning or sweeping movements to attack. From this Mikasa could tell the other girl was used to wielding a long weapon that didn't require the opponent to get close. What weapon in particular, Mikasa couldn't tell at this point but it told her she had the advantage. Mikasa had many more options at close range, being able to jab, hook or uppercut at any opportunity making the most of the situation. Another advantage the black haired girl had was the ability to use her feet to kick. The other girl's style forced her to remain grounded, hardly moving from her starting position at all. That was bad for the other girl and very good for Mikasa. After all her training Mikasa was already incredibly fast on her feet and certain actions came naturally to her as she reacted on instinct.

Despite her advantages however, the older girl seemed to have more experience and was simply good enough to neutralize Mikasa's advantages. That and the other girl was also strong enough that Mikasa's hits weren't fazing her, yet. Mikasa grinned as she decided to end it. Naruto always said to never play with your opponent, seek to end the fight as quickly as possible without becoming careless. The black haired girl planned on doing just that.

After swatting away a few more punches Mikasa let lose a straight punch at the other girl's face with all of her current strength. If this didn't knock the other girl out then nothing would. Unfortunately Mikasa had underestimated the other girl's speed and instead of the girl's head Mikasa's fist came into contact with hastily raised forearm. It didn't change much anyway. The older girl flinched under the obviously painful strike and collapsed backwards into the dirt cradling her injured arm.

Before Mikasa could turn away or gloat on her victory she suddenly found her own arm being grasped tightly in a very powerful grip that caused Mikasa to wince. The image of a large imposing man grabbing her mother's arms suddenly flashed through her vision and Mikasa froze suddenly. _No._ Mikasa felt herself reliving the brutal memory of her parent's murder in vivid detail as she lost track of her surroundings. She barely registered being thrown to the ground as she once again watched the knife plunge into her mother, expecting something similar to happen to her.

* * *

"How dare you touch my sister! Let go of her!"

The familiar shout of outrage snapped Mikasa out of her daze as she finally realized that she had been thrown aside like trash. Mikasa dismissed the thought immediately as she witnessed Eren leap ferociously onto the raven haired boy that had gripped her arm.

Mikasa's stomach churned as a chill swept through her while she watched Eren launch himself at the other boy. She had a bad feeling about it that she couldn't shake off. Mikasa wanted to warn Eren not to get into a fight with this stranger, but she couldn't bring herself to stand. She watched helplessly as the black haired boy ducked forwards to let Eren's fist soar over his head. He was just about to punch the back of Eren's head when he was met by a lovely surprise.

Even if Eren's back had been left unprotected, due to his right fist sailing over its target, Eren wasn't such a simple brawler anymore. He continued the spin and Mikasa loved the look of momentary shock that appeared on the black haired boy's face as Eren's left fist back handed him on the cheek. The moment was short lived however as the black haired boy then went on to prove just how far he outclassed Eren.

Mikasa watched in shock as the black haired boy moved his head just enough to dodge her brother's frenzied strikes before retaliating with his own much more powerful hits. Mikasa didn't know whether to be proud that Eren was simply shrugging off those blows, as if they didn't hurt at all, or get worried at the fact that Eren was getting hit. Mikasa noticed that she wasn't the only one confused as the black haired boy was clearly wondering why Eren was still standing.

The black haired girl's eyes then widened substantially as she read the stranger's movements. _He wants to end the fight!_ Mikasa watched helplessly as the black haired boy pulled back and raised his leg, readying for a kick to Eren's chest. _Eren is going to walk right into that kick!_

Eren didn't disappoint however as he caught the foot before sweeping his leg to try and trip the other boy. Unfortunately the black haired boy had already predicted this move, and even with his foot in Eren's grip, the black haired boy leapt up into the air and spun before landing his other foot in Eren's face.

Mikasa watched in horror as Eren was slammed headfirst down into the ground with the victorious boy smirking down at him. As further insult, he picked Eren up and tossed him towards Mikasa. Now able to stand Mikasa walked a little unsteadily towards her unconscious brother, ignoring the pained snickering of the golden haired girl.

"See, I told you he was useless, didn't I?" The older girl mocked.

After making sure that Eren was only knocked unconscious Mikasa glared at the golden haired girl as if she could be killed by looks alone. _If only._

The older girl then turned to the black haired boy. "Thanks for the save, Sasuke."

"Hn, you obviously couldn't care for yourself. Could you Temari?" The black haired boy scoffed as he crossed his arms, adopting a slightly brooding air around him.

Mikasa couldn't believe her ears. Their names were of Japanese descent! The same language all four siblings were now learning! Was it a coincidence that they were all incredibly good fighters? Were they like Naruto? If so, Mikasa didn't know whether to be wary of them or friendly. Then Naruto's words entered her head. _Shinobi seldom trust each other._ Mikasa made her decision then, she would relay that information to Naruto and her brother would deal with it.

That was when she felt it. The air had chilled suddenly and Mikasa could find no reason why. Her hair was standing on end from the feeling and wasn't anything close to pleasant.

"Eren! Mikasa!" A small voice cried out as an equally tiny body crouched between her and her brown haired brother worriedly. "Are you guys alright?"

Mikasa gave an almost imperceptible nod to Armin. She was recovering already and would be ready to avenge Eren, cursing her momentary weakness. If she hadn't been caught off guard then Eren wouldn't have gotten hurt. _This is all my fault._ Mikasa looked back at her brown haired brother as a wave of disappointment coursed through her. After all the hits Eren had sustained in the brief skirmish, it was a miracle he wasn't even bruising.

Mikasa's head snapped up. _Armin… Eren… If they're both here then where is Naruto?_

Looking up the black haired girl realized that she wasn't the only one who had noticed the silent atmosphere that had mysteriously settled around them. Although the hundreds of other recruits didn't notice, in the immediate vicinity there was a chilling presence. Mikasa took some quiet satisfaction from the fact that the now identified Sasuke and Temari were looking around in alarm. And they had good reason to do so.

For the very next second without any warning whatsoever, Temari was shoved backwards in a way eerily similar to the way Mikasa had been treated. The black haired girl couldn't help feeling vindicated. It served the older girl just right. The only thing that struck out as strange had been the fact that there had been no noise when it happened. The silence was unnerving until everyone noticed what exactly had sent Temari rolling, the golden haired boy that Mikasa was now absolutely certain to be her elder brother. There was something different this time, his cerulean blue eyes. Instead of the calming and cheerful blue that Mikasa had grown to love so much, they had turned into vengeful orbs of ice that chilled Mikasa to the bone. It was a great relief when the dark haired girl realized they weren't trained on her. That look was almost completely foreign on her elder brother's face and Mikasa prayed he would never look at her that way. In the back of her head Mikasa heard the older girl's earlier words, despite what she had said, Mikasa couldn't completely erase her doubts.

From her point of view, Mikasa watched as the raven haired boy's face morphed into one of surprise at the sudden appearance of Naruto. Then, Naruto struck. Unlike Eren, Naruto gave no warning whatsoever. He was completely silent as he commenced his assault.

Sasuke managed to recover from his shock quickly as Naruto came in with blinding punches that each looked like they could crush the other boy's skull. To the other boy's credit he managed to evade and block with speed just shy of Naruto's. Yet unlike with Eren, where the stranger fought with a casual air even against Eren's rage, he was seriously trying to evade Naruto without any chance to counter attack.

Mikasa loved the way both boys just seemed to glide around each other. They were so graceful it put her to shame. It would have been a beautiful dance had it not been for the murder in Naruto's eyes and the confusion in Sasuke's. He clearly hadn't been expecting such an opponent. Another thing Mikasa noticed was how their footfalls and hits produced hardly any sound even as they moved with deadly intent. She doubted many others could appreciate the skill required to do so.

After around a minute, though it felt like far longer while the two boys fought, the fight finally came to a close as Naruto suddenly let loose a move that was completely foreign to his current fighting style. Mikasa watched as instead of the usual wide punch, Naruto's right arm shot straight underneath the other boy's guard to catch him by the throat. _Talk about unpredictable._ There was only a second as Sasuke was suspended helplessly in the air before Naruto mercilessly slammed the raven haired boy into the ground with a sickening impact.

Just before Naruto could further pound the now helpless boy underneath him, her elder brother's hand was caught by a much taller man that grasped Naruto's hand tightly.

Mikasa idly wondered how Naruto could have not noticed such a large man approaching. Then she realized that her elder brother probably had noticed the tall, bald man. There was no way he couldn't have. Therefore Naruto had played the part of being unaware to give the impression that he was not always aware of his surroundings. _Always make your enemy underestimate you_. It was the best way to build your opponent's confidence to be exploited later on.

"So you know how to fight?"

The deep baritone voice of the man pulled Mikasa out of her thoughts as everyone around the field quieted at the authority that emanated from the man. Mikasa found this taller man very intimidating, even as he simply glared at the two boys he had just interrupted. The black haired girl blinked when she realized that Naruto didn't seem in the least bit intimidated. In fact, her brother was _grinning_ back at the towering man.

"Not really sir!" Naruto answered cheerily, "We were just practicing our hand to hand fighting skills! I'm really excited to finally get started! It's my dream to finally become a soldier! Then people can finally acknowledge me, sir!"

Mikasa grit her teeth. This was Naruto's idiot persona, incredibly annoying but undoubtedly effective. The black haired girl just had trouble reconciling both images of Naruto in her head, the solid presence in her life and the idiot. The stupid, bumbling, retarded fool that eased people's general opinion of him. It served its purpose quite well, placing people in a false sense of security, so that when the figurative snake struck it would be a nasty surprise. After all, who would expect such a kid to be a threat? _Now if only it wasn't so annoying. Oh wait, that's its purpose._

"You haven't even been formally introduced and you want to start fighting already?" Shadis asked disbelievingly. "You do know that we will be facing titans, not humans?"

Naruto's childish grin never wavered. "Yes sir! Nothing will get in my way! I'll be the best soldier that I can be! Believe it!"

Mikasa resisted the urge to face palm. _Patience_. _I just need patience._ She thought to herself.

"And when I'm the strongest I'll kick all of your asses! It would feel nice to be a boss!"

Apparently a lot more patience than she thought possible. Naruto had guts to say that to the man's face without even knowing exactly who he was. Looking around however to search for a distraction, she caught sight of a disbelieving Temari looking at the prone form of an irate Sasuke, who still lay underneath Naruto, and Mikasa couldn't help the grin that formed on her face.

When Temari turned to face her Mikasa didn't bother trying to hide the victorious grin that was painfully visible to the other girl. "That's my useless brother." Having your words thrown back at you was one of the most humiliating things ever to possible come from an enemy. Mikasa knew this personally and therefore enjoyed the deepening scowl on Temari's face. _Serves her right._

A small groan at her feet caught Mikasa's attention and she sighed as Eren finally came around. At least he was still functional. She was worried he had been kicked a little too hard this time.

"Ow, what happened?" Eren asked groggily as he sat up.

Mikasa thought for a moment and briefly considered how to say it without offending Eren much. "You got knocked out."

"What!? Where is he!?" The green eyed boy demanded as he shot up. The raven haired girl wondered why the phrase had sounded a lot simpler in her head while restraining Eren from picking another fight.

"It's fine Eren, Naruto beat him. You missed the fight."

Mikasa let out a small smile at the cute pout that appeared on Eren's face. She thought it was cute anyway, it looked better than whenever he would scowl at her.

"Yeah!" Eren cheered. "I bet Naruto sure kicked his ass!"

"Everybody line up!" The order had everyone snapping to attention as they hastily formed the lines they thought that the large man wanted. It turned out Mikasa had missed something, and she wasn't sure what, but the fact that Shadis seemed even grumpier than before was not lost on her. Maybe even he couldn't stand the stupid grin on Naruto's face either. She wouldn't blame him. Either way, they had been ordered to get into line so Mikasa would listen to orders.

The raven haired girl noticed Eren straighten the most and settle back with a grim expression on his face. If people thought Mikasa was emotionless then Eren had only three to choose from: happy, angry or somewhere in between. Something she had commented once to Naruto who wouldn't stop laughing afterwards.

"You are now all officially members of Training Unit 104! Unfortunately for you brats, I, Keith Shadis, will be in charge! I'm not here to give you a warm welcome! All of you now are just merely livestock waiting to be eaten by titans! No, you're even worse than livestock!" Keith bellowed out in front of the trainees that all stood to attention. The bald man's very posture demanded that they listen to every word he had to speak without any question. Shadis began walking through the lines as he spoke before kicking a boy back into line.

"I said a line boy! Don't you know what a line is? I'll give you a hint, it's something straight!" Shadis bellowed at the boy who cowered before him. Shadis showed his disapproval by spitting on the ground. "Stupid recruits, get your heads out of the ground or I will." Mikasa heard him mutter under his breath.

Moving on Mikasa noticed Shadis punch a recruit in the stomach. It wasn't a hard blow by any means yet the recruit still reacted badly as the air was knocked out of him. "Tummy in you idiot. I don't want to see this type of shitty thing in my camp. What the hell are you? Some rich fool? Stand properly! No slouching!" The bald instructor then promptly ignored the boy's whimpering.

Shadis then grabbed the next recruits chin and shoved it the other way. "Eyes front! Did I tell you to look around!?"

A small chuckle escaped one of the girls in the back and Shadis promptly picked up a rock and threw it at her head. The girl fell to the dirt writhing in pain and clutching her head as Shadis marched up to her. "Something funny miss giggles? Because I fail to see something there is to laugh at, unless of course if it is at yourself you pitiful wreck. You're better off mopping floors not fighting titans. You aren't even a worthy snack!"

Mikasa felt more than saw the nostalgia appear on Naruto's face and wondered what was going on in her golden haired brother's head. She was sure it was something that the instructor was doing. Mikasa turned her head slightly to catch sight of the instructor smacking another recruit upside the head. What was Naruto thinking, all she could see was a very strict, old man keen to punish… Mikasa stopped. That was it, she remembered how Naruto would talk about Hiruzen with that faraway look. The old man was strict as well if she remembered correctly, and Shadis probably reminded her elder brother of the grandfather he lost.

"I still can't believe that for the next four years I'm supposed to train you little shits! I'll need teach you how to fight titans! When you face a titan in four years, will you still be just food? Or will you be a slightly more useful piece of shit that will protect these walls? Or maybe a mighty champion of mankind to slay the titans? The choice lies in your hands, because right now I feel more inclined to kick all of you pests out of my camp!" Shadis continued undeterred, his intimidating expression never once wavering in the slightest.

The raven haired girl tuned out the commander for a minute to observe all the other faces lined up like she was. Her other two siblings however, didn't seem to be too happy even though they finally managed to join the training corps. Grim expressions were set on their faces, especially Eren's. Then again, they didn't get to face titans yet and still had to train so maybe they wouldn't be too happy about that. Mikasa didn't mind training though, it helped her forget and there was that little bonus of spending time with Naruto.

Mikasa had to admit, though her expression didn't show it, that she was excited. She would finally get to try that Three Dimensional Maneuvering gear. They were very hard to come by and she loved the grace at which some flew with the gear. It must be so nice to feel the wind in your face and hair. Mikasa also wanted to experience moving at a speed that somewhat resembled her elder brother when he really ran somewhere. Unless he carried her, she was slow and she didn't like being a burden, maybe he wouldn't like her anymore if she became a burden.

The thirteen year old then noticed that Shadis had disappeared from up front and so she glanced around looking for the bald instructor. Naruto was also probably the only other recruit looking around as much as she was. At least he was being also being discreet about it.

Mikasa then spotted the instructor towering over Armin and blinked. What was going on? Did Armin violate a rule already? How did she miss that?

"You kid, who the hell are you?" Shadis demanded. Mikasa wasn't so sure anymore whether the instructor was decidedly angry or just messing with them.

"A-armin Arlert sir! F-from Shiganshina sir!" The small blond whimpered under the larger man's shadow, afraid to look Shadis in the eye.

"Is that so? Well that's a name for a retard! Who called you that? You're parents?"

"It was my grandfather sir!" Armin said bravely, suddenly discovering that he could talk if he spoke to the instructor's chest. Mikasa found that funny enough while also musing about Armin's shyness. From what she understood females were supposed to be the shy ones. Then again she hardly was with any other female company.

"Hmmm, why are you here Arlert?" Shadis softened his tone a little as he asked that question.

Armin squared his shoulders as he answered and Mikasa felt a little bit of pride for his younger brother. "I'm here to contribute to humanity's victory sir!"

Shadis then seemed to grow bigger in front of everyone. "How very admirable boy. You should make excellent dessert for the titans."

Mikasa almost face faulted at that. What was the bald man doing? His words were incredibly demoralizing to all the cadets. _It's like he's trying to tell them that their past lives and intentions are all useless- oh…_ Mikasa got it now. The girl then felt like applauding the instructor for what he was doing.

All the cadets who had not joined for the right reason were being put through this experience as some sort of test or a rite of passage so that they could be properly trained as blank slates. Armin was only thinking about helping a cause, not training to keep himself alive.

Mikasa found himself grinning as many of the other recruits were made fools of by the oppressive instructor. At least she was getting to know their names. The thirteen year old was a little put off by some of their reasoning however, none of them seemed to know why they were really here.

Mikasa also found herself particularly annoyed by some of them. That Kirstein boy was only after safety and luxury in between the walls. The way he had said it so smugly struck a nerve within her, she was thankful that Shadis had head butted the boy or she would have gone to teach the boy a lesson herself. Well, maybe ask Eren to do it. She didn't miss Eren glaring at the boy from the corner of his eyes, she wondered what that was about.

That was before Mikasa caught Jean sneaking a fearful glance at Eren and Naruto while her brothers grinned back maliciously. Oh just great, what had they been up to while she was busy arguing with four tails?

At least that Marco boy seemed to want to join the military police for proper reasons. If only there were more righteous people like him in this world. Hopefully he wouldn't crack under the pressure.

Mikasa's eyes continued following the stern man's path and took notice that he seemed to be leaving certain people out of his wrath. There seemed to be a trend however, since all the ones he left out were from the outer regions. Such as Eren and Naruto. Armin didn't directly see the horror that the titans wrought up close. Mikasa figured that Shadis could probably tell from their faces that they fought for the right reasons. The raven haired girl's eyes roamed over the ones Shadis left out until her eyes settled on a short girl with platinum blonde hair and cold, ice blue eyes. She seemed familiar to Mikasa for some reason though she couldn't put her finger on it. She didn't like the weird feeling in her stomach as she looked at the other girl though, Mikasa didn't feel like trusting this particular girl anytime soon.

Mikasa's eyes then darted to the shaved boy being held up by his head. It was a sight that nearly had her elder brother laughing. Thankfully Naruto restrained himself. But she had to wonder what the bald boy had done to warrant such treatment. Shadis hadn't really carried anyone yet.

"Listen you bald mutt. This was one of the first things you were taught, that salute means you are offering your heart to the king. Now is your heart on your right side of your body you bald moron! If this is…" Shadis suddenly stopped, his booming voice quieted immediately as a look of blasphemy crossed his features. The ensuing silence had everyone on edge. The silence was oppressing, in a way even more than when the instructor had been shouting.

Then everyone heard it, the slow and steady crunching of a mouth chewing food. All eyes turned towards the sound to see a brown haired girl determinedly downing a potato.

Shadis dropped the boy he had been holding unceremoniously onto the ground. He marched steadily onto the girl as everyone waited with bated breath. The girl didn't even seem to be paying any sort of attention to her surroundings since she didn't seem to notice that everyone's eyes were on her.

"Hey you. What the hell are you doing?" Shadis asked calmly. It made him all the more frightening, like the calm before the storm.

The girl heard him, but obviously didn't know she was being addressed as she even made a show of looking around for the unfortunate soul that had been called upon. She took another munch out of the potato as she looked.

"You! I'm talking to you!" Shadis roared as he suddenly appeared in front of the girl. "Who the fuck are you!"

The girl took the time to swallow in front of the instructor before saluting and introducing herself. "Sasha Blouse from Dauper sir!"

The instructor did not make a single move as his menacing glare alone pinned down the unfortunate girl before him. "Sasha Blouse." He tested the name as it rolled across his tongue. "What's that you're holding in your right hand?"

"A steamed potato sir!"

The enthusiastic way in which she had said it almost made Mikasa cringe. The tone of her answer was like a teacher speaking to a toddler. This girl was going to get it. Mikasa also hated how she couldn't be sure whether the girl was being serious or joking around.

"I came across it in the kitchen so I picked it up!"

Shadis blinked. "So you stole it?" he said disbelievingly. "And why? Why are you eating a potato right now?"

"I wanted to eat it while it was still warm so I decided that it was now or never, sir."

"No… I don't get it. Why are you eating a potato?"

"Are you asking why people eat potatoes in general sir?" Sasha asked innocently as she tilted her head to the side.

Mikasa swore he could see the instructor's eye twitch for a second. The raven haired girl couldn't really blame the man, every single trainee was looking at Sasha in shock or surprise at the blatant disrespect.

The girl thought for a moment before splitting the potato into two. "Take a half for yourself sir. Then maybe you will understand why we eat potatoes!" She said with a smile that stretched from ear to ear.

Mikasa lowered her face into the familiar comfort of her red scarf even as she saw Eren and Naruto's jaws drop open. Even she could not believe the sheer audacity of the girl and Mikasa had to wonder if she was doing it on purpose.

The instructor's eyes darkened considerably as he placed the potato half inside his jacket pocket. "Trainee Sasha Blouse! You will run laps around this field until you drop! Is that punishment clear?!" Shadis bellowed out, causing Mikasa to wince.

Sasha frowned for a moment before saluting and smiling again. "Yes sir!"

Mikasa watched as Shadis paused for a moment. The instructor realized that Sasha was okay with this punishment. A sadistic smile worked its way onto the instructor's face. "And you shall have no dinner tonight or breakfast tomorrow morning!" his grin only widened when Sasha shrieked in horror. "Now get on running or you shall have no dinner tomorrow as well!"

The girl shot off and started sprinting around the field immediately. Her face had been priceless.

"What are all of you looking at? Face the front!?"

Everyone snapped to attention when they heard the hostility in the instructor's voice. "Anyone else want join miss Blouse?"

Shadis grinned at the lack of response. "Good! Because I don't care if potato girl drops in the field and stays the night there! I don't care if any of you do!"

Mikasa had a very good feeling that the nickname 'Potato Girl' was going to stick.

* * *

During the rest of the commander's ranting, Naruto had kept his ears open and heard quite a few names that interested him. Especially finally learning the names of the boy and girl he had caught picking on Mikasa and Eren. Uchiha Sasuke and Sabaku no Temari. Those names were from the same origin as his and that was something that surprised him. He wondered if they were shinobi as well since you didn't just find a child as well versed in fighting as Sasuke. Children didn't reach that far without some form of instruction. Within one of Hiruzen's scrolls it had said that there were some shinobi clans that had Kekkai Genkai, bloodline limits exclusive to that clan. Unfortunately Hiruzen had not gone far enough to name said clans or warn him about their unique abilities. It would have definitely been helpful at the moment.

The golden haired girl's name itself 'Temari of the Desert', meant 'Perfection of the Desert' and implied she knew what a desert was in the first place. Naruto had only seen such a thing in forbidden books described as a sea of sand. Naruto wasn't sure about the importance of Uchiha Sasuke's name, but it sounded pretty important and one should never discount another's name. Never. His own name, Uzumaki Naruto, given by Hiruzen meant 'Spiralling Maelstrom'.

But that was not as important compared to the fact that they knew how to fight.

It was strange to see the both Mikasa and Eren lose a fight against other children around their age. Contrary to what others thought, he had seen the confrontation even before it started and had waited it out to see how Mikasa would deal with it. He couldn't hear what the discussion was about from the distance he had been but it had been a surprise for Mikasa to hug the other girl. That scene had been funny in its own way until both girls suddenly bared their fangs.

During the actual fight, Naruto had been watching proud of his sister's development. She was getting faster and stronger in her hits and the golden haired boy really wanted to fight like Mikasa. That poker face was very disconcerting on an opponent. Then again taunting them and grinning as you fought was another psychological technique that did wonders for Naruto. Oh well, everyone had their own style.

What unsettled Naruto was the way that Mikasa's victory had been snatched from right under her nose. Naruto had seen how negatively Mikasa had reacted to Sasuke's actions and he would have stepped in immediately had Eren not interfered. Mikasa did not normally show what she was feeling, so to see her face scrunched up meant that she was very emotionally hurt. He was already on his way to comfort his sister while he simultaneously watched Eren get humiliated. He would have stopped to comfort Mikasa first, but seeing your little brother get kicked in the face took precedence in the situation. That was when he finally had stepped in. Admittedly he wasn't going all out, only stretching the limits of a very fast teenage boy. But the other boy managed to keep up and that was what had Naruto wondering for the whole day.

There was also the small fact that the two newest people on his 'watch out for' list were in the same group as the others that also had a Japanese heritage to their names. Nara Shikamaru, Iwa no Kurotsuchi, Nii Samui and Yuki Haku were not names you were supposed to find within the walls. Naruto had then decided to keep an eye on all of them for a while and observe. If they were a threat then they would just have to disappear into the night. The fourteen year old was good at that.

Since then he had studied the owners curiously and made a note to talk to them later. For now he would watch. They had said they came from Wall Maria near Shiganshina but there was one flaw in that, none of his siblings had ever seen or heard of these particular kids before. In a district as small as Shiganshina that was almost impossible. They also hadn't revealed any information regarding their parents or guardians either which was a safe way to hide if you didn't know anyone from a particular place you claimed were from. That and everyone would automatically assume you were an orphan if you hailed from Shiganshina and no longer had someone looking after you. Smart move, except Naruto didn't buy it. He wasn't sure where they were really from but if they were really as he suspected then it wasn't entirely improbable that they lived outside the border of Wall Maria. The question was what they were doing inside a training camp instead of accomplishing whatever it is they had planned. The golden haired boy doubted they would find any sort of valuable information within the camp and if they planned to stay for the next four years then they were going to be incredibly disappointed.

Naruto had spoken with Armin briefly about the topic and the Naruto was pleased to know that Armin had also caught onto the names. Both blonds kept their conversation in Japanese, a language in which Armin, Mikasa and Eren had all become fluent in alongside Naruto. Once again both boys had followed the same line of thought and focused on their main questions. Did they also speak Japanese? Were they hostile? Did they come from a similar background as Naruto?

All three of Naruto's siblings had a general idea about Naruto's background and about some of his abilities. But among them only Armin knew every bit of what his brother was truly capable off and about Naruto's Underworld visits. Naruto had sometimes needed more than one opinion on certain topics and Armin certainly had a good amount of insight. But the only way for Armin to be most effective was to know everything about Naruto and his abilities in their entirety.

Eren wasn't worried about anything regarding Naruto as long as the more skilled brother taught the green eyed boy how to fight. Meanwhile, Naruto didn't want to worry Mikasa any more than he had to. The poor girl would probably throw a fit if she found out what he had been doing.

Naruto eyed them again from his spot on the balcony, he had set himself the task of an observer. In the scroll Hiruzen had left him, he was warned to always analyse any potential opponent. And with their name set, Naruto had an inkling that they may have been raised with a similar shinobi background as him and he did not yet know whether or not they were hostile. Being cautious in the Underworld had kept him alive.

The Uchiha and the Nara were the only two males of the strange group. Both had the same raven black hair that Mikasa did. Sasuke's pose suggested some arrogance but the way he moved suggested skill. He moved with the grace of a fighter, something that few could effectively hide. They could downplay it, but they could never completely erase it. Naruto himself suffered from that same problem. Shikamaru was a different matter. Despite the lazy demeanour, Naruto had already caught the boy's sharp gaze and analytical eyes roaming around, much like Naruto's own eyes. Those were the eyes of a thinker, and they were definitely more dangerous than a straight up fighter no matter how skilled. Pitting Eren against Armin had led to some interesting results since Eren had ended up with sand in his eyes and Armin had apparently bent the rules and found that keeping Eren away with a stick was effective.

Yuki Haku and Iwa no Kurotsuchi were different in a way. Haku was timid and polite, being gentle enough and so harmless looking that Naruto wasn't sure whether she should even be in the army. Heck, she looked so fragile that she would cry if someone laughed at her. But then again looks good be deceiving, if he looked at it from a different angle then Haku would make a perfect assassin. Her traits were all suited for it. Her gentle face and behaviour could easily remove all suspicion from her being leading people to let down their guard. Kurotsuchi on the other hand was similar to Eren in many ways. Loud, reckless and seemed to love getting into fights. Both also had the same raven black hair as his little sister.

The last two stood out more. Temari was harsh and brutal, that much was obvious. She had already beaten down two of the other male recruits that had tried to ask her out. Naruto had frowned at their behaviour, this was a training camp to fight titans and those guys wanted to try and get a girlfriend? But what got Naruto interested was her hair, it had been styled up into a set of four pigtails. That was something that you didn't see everyday. The shade of her hair was also a lighter gold than his was. Nobody may have noticed it, but Naruto was certain that golden hair was extremely rare within the walls. Could they possibly be related? The last girl, Samui, seemed to be extremely irritable unless left alone. But the golden haired boy took more notice of her very pale skin and yet again blond hair. This shade close enough to be considered platinum blond, but Naruto was sure that her shade of hair was far closer to white instead of yellow.

He was interrupted from his careful observations when the giant bell up in the watchtower rang loudly, signalling dinner time in the mess hall before everyone returned to their respective cabins.

Naruto sighed as he stretched his legs a little before standing. Hopefully spending his first evening and first night at this camp wouldn't be as tiring as his first day.

* * *

 **And thus begins the training camp arc.**

 **Once again sorry for being late! See you next time and don't forget to leave a review!**


	5. Training II

**A/N: I now know exactly what to do with this story, prepare yourselves.**

* * *

 **Training II: We Are Soldiers**

 _Naruto sighed as he stretched his legs a little before standing. Hopefully spending his first evening and first night at this camp wouldn't be as tiring as his first day._

The golden haired boy glanced upwards and frowned towards the carts that were leaving the training grounds carrying many of the potential recruits. Naruto scowled in disappointment. So much for his earlier hope and assessment, more than half of the would-be recruits had hitched a ride onto the carts willing to be shipped back to farm work.

They hadn't even done much for the day. Yes, Shadis had yelled at them. Yes, that same instructor had made them run around the field and do pushups. But that was it. And just like that they had quit? Then again it was sort of good riddance. He wouldn't want any of those people watching his back. They belonged on a farm where they would at least be of some use.

His mood darkening Naruto turned to start his walk to the mess hall. There was no point in being late and missing his dinner, no matter what that dinner was going to be. Even bread alone would be fine, although soup would probably do as well. Hot soup sounded great and Naruto felt his spirits lighten up as he grinned. The golden haired boy's pace increased as his eagerness for dinner overcame him, until his progress was all of a sudden halted as potato girl crashed down in front of him. Naruto blinked, taking in her appearance before sighing. _Curse my good side._

He just couldn't stand it when something helpless presented itself to him. It had been the same in the Underworld. Especially down there, actually. The weak were preyed upon by the strong relentlessly in that place. Naruto had been there all but a week before he had started to help those he could. It was a great place to practice many of his newfound skills due to the vermin that lived in that hellhole, but he couldn't just stand by and watch as the helpless suffered. Isabel had called him selfless, Farlan had been envious that he hadn't thought of it first and Levi, well, Levi had just called him stupid. Thinking of the shorter man brought a smile to Naruto's face. Levi would probably scowl in disgust at Sasha then step on her prone form as he walked over her just so she would learn not to fall in front of him again.

But he wasn't Levi. Not even close. He therefore hoisted up the unconscious girl and slung her over his right shoulder before he looked around to make sure that Shadis hadn't seen him. They had been ordered to leave the girl alone until told otherwise after all. The golden haired boy let out a small chuckle. Unfairly halving the potato and giving Shadis the obviously smaller piece did sort of warrant the punishment that she had received.

Seeing that the coast was clear he continued on his way to the cabin with the food. Now that his mind was back to his Underworld friends –or merely acquaintances, it depended on Levi really- he couldn't take his mind off the smallest of the group. That midget was terrifying. Their first meeting had been a disaster. Naruto had never thought he would feel so outclassed by another human. Even though he had chakra coursing through his body to enhance his speed and strength as well as bolster his senses at the time, it wasn't enough to stop him from almost getting killed. He had had to disappear in a burst of smoke and leave an enraged Levi behind. To this day Naruto had no logical explanation as to how someone could possibly be that strong, fast and skilled without chakra. And Naruto had confirmed over the time they spent together that Levi was not a ninja, nor trained by one. The man was just simply that good.

But using actual jutsu, Naruto knew he could possibly be on level ground with Levi. Possibly. That tiny man was damn near untouchable with the 3D-Manouever gear. Sometimes it looked like Levi was just flying. It was one reason why Naruto was excited to learn how to use the titan killing gear, to fly through the air and be free.

"Hey, mind if we walk with you?" A tall, broad boy asked, gaining Naruto's attention. The golden haired boy was surprised when he had to look up to meet the other boy's eyes. Naruto was already tall for his age yet this boy had at least half a head height difference with Naruto and the boy's companion was even taller with a full head height difference. Naruto blinked and nodded unsurely at the two surprisingly large boys.

"What are your names?" He asked awkwardly as they took their places on either side of him. It was best to always be on guard around strangers, but he also didn't want to scare away any potential friends that he might make in future. You never knew when a potential friend for life walked up to you. Not that he was one to talk, he hardly had any friends.

"Just Reiner." The boy said jovially as he introduced himself. "And the skinny one over here is Bertholdt."

The tallest of the trio seemed affronted at the way he was described and showed so by glaring at the now identified Reiner. "I'm not skinny! You're just, um… wide!"

Reiner raised an eyebrow back at his tall friend over Naruto's head. "Really Bert?"

Bertholdt blushed and hung his head muttering something inaudible. Naruto took an instant liking to Bertholdt, even if he was still wary. The tallest boy seemed very gentle and shy, much like an oversized Armin actually. His side in the banter was already chosen.

"Don't worry Bertholdt, Reiner really is just fat. I mean look at him compared to everyone else. He looks fat enough to feed this camp for the next month!" Naruto joked, grinning at the tallest of the trio who grinned back shyly.

Reiner's eyebrows shot up in horror. "I'm not fat! I'm just big boned!"

Naruto's grin widened. "Even better, that would make for some delicious tasting soup."

The broad boy grunted in mock irritation as Bertholdt chuckled.

Naruto observed the pair for a moment and smiled. If things kept up he may have found his first few friends. He was distracted however, when in front of him a large group of trainees seemed to be pestering his siblings as they entered the mess hall.

"Yes! I saw it! How many times should I tell you?" Naruto heard Eren shout in an irritated manner before storming into the mess hall, Mikasa and Armin directly behind him. The golden haired boy pitied his little brother once again, always the centre of attention one way or the other. Perhaps Eren was just meant to be in the spotlight. Good thing Mikasa was there, otherwise Naruto had a feeling Eren and Armin would have been crowded to the point of being unable to move. Mikasa was abrasive like that. He let out a small smile at the thought. Even with all her flaws, he wouldn't change her for the world.

Reiner apparently noticed what Naruto had been looking at, although he mistook Naruto's interest in the group for something else. "So you like the black haired girl then?" Reiner said suggestively as he waggled his eyebrows.

Naruto turned ever so slightly to face Reiner with a raised, questioning eyebrow. "She's my sister."

Reiner's face twisted into one of abject horror before tripping over his own feet as they walked. Bertholdt burst out laughing, momentarily letting go of his timid nature due to the situation while Reiner sputtered in denial. Naruto's grin almost split his face in half.

Reiner grimaced as he pushed himself back off the ground. "Forget I said anything."

"At least now we know where your tastes lie." Naruto joked as he offered Reiner his free hand to help the broader boy up.

Reiner stared at Naruto disbelievingly before getting his wits back. "No! Of course not! I don't even have a sister!"

"Probably wished you had one though." Bertholdt said as Naruto took his turn to laugh at Reiner's expense.

Reiner just covered his blushing face in his hands. "You guys aren't going to let this go, are you?" He asked, already resigned to his fate.

"Nope!" The two other boys answered simultaneously with matching grins.

* * *

Annie wasn't a very social person. She knew it, and so did everybody else with the misfortune to meet her. Anybody would immediately notice this trait. She just wasn't very good at expressing herself properly. This made interacting with anyone at all a frustratingly difficult task. The stoic appearance she had developed made it far easier to simply ignore or acknowledge whatever was being said. It went without saying that she avoided actively engaging anyone into any sort of conversation.

Annie blamed her father for her condition. That slave driver had started training her for combat since the young age of four. It was no surprise that almost the entirety of her memories consisted solely of training, day in and day out till she collapsed. The most consistent word however, was 'again'. The first people she had actually spoken to aside from that man were the ones who had chosen her before they sent her on this mission. Other times she was just in her father's shadow, ignoring all the stares. It wasn't the first time she wondered what her life would be like if her mother hadn't died at childbirth, she heard her father had been different back then and was a man who had wholly loved her mother. Frankly Annie didn't see how such a cruel man to his own daughter could actually have known what love was.

Not soon after she had been chosen, she had met her teammates. She held back a scowl at the thought of them.

Bertholdt was a shy fool. As far as Annie was concerned he was simply a lumbering idiot that couldn't make a decision on his own. He wasn't good at fighting either. The only thing he could contribute to their mission was the simply massive size of his titan, the biggest so far within his tribe. He outshone the biggest by a good ten metres, a true harbinger of destruction. That titan however, was severely limited in its use. Moreover it took a lot out of Bertholdt, only being able to fully transform once a day and his record of keeping it active had been half an hour. He had been unconscious for six days afterwards.

Then there was Reiner, a cheerful, idealistic fool that was easily manipulated. He was headstrong when required however, and was like a charging bull once he was set on a goal. Annie had a feeling he didn't like her all that much, not that she cared. Her titan form was superior to his. Her form was lighter, faster and could form lethal weapons or deadly armour as needed. Not to mention her hardening power was also unique within those of her clan. There was reason each of them was sent after all. Furthermore she could also stay in her form for far longer than Reiner and could shift three times a day to exceed his two times. Her combat skills were also on a different league compared to his brawling style and she wasn't bragging, she didn't know how to.

It went with no question that she could probably cripple the colossal titan that Bertholdt possessed, or simply outrun it. There was nothing keeping her here aside from the fact that she had nothing else to be doing, and they knew it. At least she had a purpose at the moment.

The only one who had posed a threat to her had been Marcel, their designated leader. His titan form had been unbelievably fast and dangerous. Razor sharp claws, a jagged maw designed for tearing into flesh all accompanied by a banshee-like scream that could freeze every other creature into a shocked and terrified silence. That scream itself caused enough fear to paralyze even her in her titan form. To make matters worse that boy had been sharp, ruthless and cunning. It was a shame that his 'hero' mindset had gotten him eaten just after they had reached the walls. In his defense he had been able to get them there despite the dangers of venturing out of their home. Maybe that's why Reiner didn't like her, she had just watched another titan gobble up Marcel like some sort of snack. She probably could have saved him if she had tried. She just didn't see the benefit of doing so.

The titan that had eaten Marcel however was very interesting. It had timed its attack right after all four of them were exhausted from their assault on the wall. Furthermore it had looked suspiciously like one of the titans from the Order of Ragnarok. The fact that it didn't seem to be sentient however relaxed Annie's nerves a bit. She shrugged mentally. She didn't mind. Reiner and Bertholdt may have been terrified of those titans but Annie couldn't care less, they were inside the walls and safe while that specific nightmare had disappeared. The danger it held towards her was far less than Marcel. If the beast did somehow manage to get over the wall it would have nowhere to hide and even then, it still would not have the ability to battle Annie. It was a grunt at best. But what if it was from the Order and had reported their presence? Annie decided not to think that way lest she stress herself out.

After Marcel's untimely death, Reiner had declared himself the new leader of the group. Annie didn't care once again. The other two would die rather than follow her, she would never follow Bertholdt, if he even possessed the confidence to suggest himself, making Reiner the only feasible option. He was just barely tolerable so she wouldn't complain. As long as he didn't start ordering her around, she could ignore him.

She would only listen if the orders pertained directly to the success of the mission. Annie would show her displeasure otherwise and, even if she was wary of risking it, would face off with him in either of their forms.

The short blond held back a disgusted sneer at the noise that assaulted her ears as she entered the building. She was not used to loud noises at all. Why did people have to waste so much energy and time talking when they could be eating instead? It went without saying that Annie despised crowds. This could be attributed to the fact that she didn't quite fit in, although part of it was definitely the noise generated. She fell into line with an imperceptible grimace. She would persevere; even someone like her had to eat.

All of a sudden a much taller girl in front of Annie in line began to laugh uproariously. Annie cringed a little at the deafening sound. The blond girl's discomfort then quickly gave way to annoyance when the other girl's shoulder found its way to her face due to her laughter.

"Watch it." Annie snapped coldly.

Annie didn't even need to resort to pushing the other girl forwards as the taller girl flinched away as if struck.

"Oh sorry, I didn't see you there." She apologized.

Annie snorted. Everywhere she went it was inevitable someone mentioned her height in some derogative way.

The other girl's eyes narrowed at Annie, "What's your problem?"

Annie just glared back. The other girl shifted uneasily from foot to foot before she averted her gaze while mumbling another apology. Annie was used to stares and glares; she got more than enough back where she came from due to her family's position and also due to her cold personality. The only one seemingly unaffected by her glares was Reiner, but he was an idiot so he didn't count.

The other girl quickly received her food and rushed away to a table and away from Annie so fast you would think Annie was a titan. Well, she was. But nobody knew that. ' _Well done Annie, you just made a friend. Joy.'_ She thought to herself. She didn't particularly care about these people that were meant to become her 'comrades'. That word was a foreign concept to her. Risking your life or possibly dying for another person's safety made no sense to her. What was in it? What did anyone stand to gain? If someone couldn't even rely on their own abilities then they deserved to perish. There was also the simple fact that these people were training to become soldiers, her enemies. So why waste time fostering a relationship, even with her minimal social skills, when they could make her mission all that much harder? Either she would have reservations about killing them or they would be able to stop her. Neither option sounded favourable.

"And here is your food little girl." The chef grunted, pouring some sickly looking soup into a bowl and handing her a plate with a small loaf of bread.

"Thank you." Annie said politely. Despite her annoyance at being called little once again, and while receiving such a pitiful meal to boot, she still extended common courtesy. From someone with her upbringing and standing in society it was expected and it was the only other thing that father of hers had drilled into her.

Annie scanned the rather large dining room searching for a place to sit. Preferably it would be a table away from the majority of the crowd with herself fairly alone. Unfortunately, every table seemed to be filled with people. Very noisy people. Furthermore Annie was finding it difficult to search over other people's heads. She cursed her short stature not for the first time. The only place that even remotely appealed to Annie was the isolated table near the corner of the room. It was already occupied by two people, but Annie decided to make the most of the situation and choose the lesser of the two evils. It helped that both the people were girls so they probably wouldn't bother her as much as males. Females tended to be less noisy in general.

Now that she had chosen a place, she just had to make it there. This was something that was easier said than done. Annie let out a soft sigh. It was time to cross the room.

"Hey! Pretty girl! One boy from a crowded table called out loudly. "There's space for one more here! Sit with us!" He added, aided by a few catcalls from the other guys at his table which Annie presumed were his friends. Annie noticed four giggling girls already sat next to the group of boys. Those girls were scum.

Annie ignored them. They weren't worth her time. Even back home there were the same good for nothing little boys that only cared about girls and were always looking for a quick shag here and there. She was frankly disgusted by them, they had no place in the military. If they didn't come here to fight then they should not have come here at all. The girls that approached the boys however, were even worse. Sluts, the lot of them. Annie mused that they would either quit or die before they completed the four years of training. She despised those types of people only a little less than her father. Annie doubted she would ever get married unless her father arranged some sort of marriage for her. Even then she would want as little as possible to do with the unlucky man. She didn't want to even think about sleeping with someone in that way. There was also the fact that she had no idea what to do with a baby. Then again knowing her luck her father would arrange a marriage with Reiner. Annie was sure she would probably end up killing him as even now she could barely stand her teammate's presence.

In her musing she had failed to notice the boy from before approaching her from behind as she slowly made her way to her seat. Annie was startled when a large hand suddenly grasped her right forearm. She acted accordingly to the situation as her mind reverted to its alert state during her training. She dropped the plate with bread from her right hand and grabbed the offending limb and ruthlessly twisted it as she spun to face her attacker. Now that she had his arm shoved up his back Annie wasted no time in viciously kicking his legs out from underneath him. The boy crashed face first into the wooden floorboards and Annie followed less than a second later, digging her knee in the centre of his back to pin him to the floor with his arm still twisted behind him. The move had been executed so swiftly that the sound of his face impacting the floorboards coincided with the sound of the plate of bread shattering. Annie congratulated herself on not spilling a single drop of the soup that she held in her left hand.

All noise in the building suddenly ceased as all heads turned to search for the cause of the sound and many gawked at the sight of a small girl violently pinning a much larger boy to the ground. His whimpering brought Annie back to the present, only for her to realize that everyone was now staring at her. Her annoyance flared at the unwanted attention.

"Leave me alone." She hissed venomously, the sound carrying across the entire room. The warning in her tone was unmistakable. The boy underneath her whimpered once again and nodded pitifully underneath her.

"What are you looking at?" She snapped at the unpleasant onlookers. Almost everyone's heads turned the other way, save for a few that looked genuinely curious about her. Annie took note of them, she had seen two of them fight with the golden haired boy who had the whisker marks earlier on. They were good. She planned on avoiding them if possible. She remembered the golden haired boy from a few years back however, and she knew how proficient he was in combat. It seemed he had only improved. Annie would try to deny it but he interested her. He was the only one who stood out, and not only in looks. His behavior was strange. She had seen him slip different masks on and off throughout the day, but there was no denying the cunning she noticed in his gaze as they flashed from time to time. She wondered briefly whether his family was also here, odd as they had seemed back then.

Annie slipped back into her stoic persona and ignored the remaining onlookers as she stepped over the groaning boy and took his untouched loaf of bread to replace the one he had caused her to drop. Nobody moved to stop her. As she walked to her destination the noise started to return to what it was before.

She finally managed to take her seat at the corner most table and started to sip her soup quietly.

"I see someone doesn't like the guys very much." One of the girls sitting across from her commented with a large grin. The girl was far taller than Annie with deep brown hair. Annie ignored her and drank a little more soup. "Hey, I'm talking to you." The girl persisted with a slight frown. "Do you even speak when you aren't throwing people to the floor?"

"Um, Ymir? Can we just, you know, leave her alone? I don't think she likes crowds." The smaller girl with beautiful features suggested nervously. Timid was the first word that popped into Annie's head, beautiful followed a second later.

Ymir let out a loud laugh. "Christa! Stop being so nice!" She scolded, "You won't make any friends that way!"

"You don't have any friends aside from me Ymir. You aren't really someone to give friendship advice." The timid blond pointed out.

Annie hid back a small smirk with the bowl of soup as the tall brunette's eye twitched in betrayal. This was amusing.

"What!? I have a lot of friends!" Ymir protested.

Christa gave a shy but sly grin. "Name one then."

"Let's see," Ymir said, making a big show of looking around the room, her hazel eyes finally landing on Annie a moment later. "She is."

Christa raised a questioning eyebrow towards a disbelieving Annie. She was surprised she had been following the conversation. This was a first for her. Even more surprising was that she had been included into a conversation without the people being required to do so.

"No."

Christa gave a victorious smile towards Ymir whose shoulders slumped as she pouted in defeat.

"If you weren't so pretty I would have punched you already. You know that right?" Ymir grumbled.

Christa giggled in reply. "You wouldn't really hit me would you?"

"I can hit anyone here!" Ymir boasted suddenly.

"You didn't answer the question." Christa said.

Annie watched fascinated as Ymir grit her teeth in frustration. Annie couldn't blame her though, Christa was stunningly beautiful and delicate looking. She wouldn't hit Christa either. Annie had to wonder what a princess like Christa could possibly be thinking to join the military. Ymir was reasonable, being taller than most boys and with the confidence to match. Christa looked like titan candy in comparison. Annie didn't voice her thoughts however as she didn't think they would fit the conversation.

She was oddly comfortable watching the by play between the two girls. There was small part of her however, that was jealous. It was a part of her that had longed for that sort of connection to another person ever since she was young. She squashed down the thought ruthlessly. There was no point in wishing for the impossible. Furthermore searching for such a companion among those that were destined to be her enemies in the future was even more doomed for failure.

But that wouldn't stop her from enjoying the interactions of others as she observed silently.

The noise in the building was interrupted once again when the doors burst open to let in even more people. Annie sighed heavily, even more toxic noise was inevitable now.

"For the last time! We saw it alright! Now leave me alone!" The brown haired boy with stunning green eyes bellowed before storming towards the empty seats next to Annie. The blonde held back a groan. ' _Not here please.'_ She prayed to whoever would listen. That boy was a beacon for trouble and had already gotten into more than one brawl during the day. He was good however, although with his over aggressive attacking style he was going to be easy pickings for her. He relied too much on his strength. Annie would keep this to herself in case she would need to fight with him later on, she was slowly building a file for every possible threat to her in her head.

Thankfully it seemed someone had heard her and the boy sat on the table next to her. Unfortunately the crowd that seemed attached to him for some reason also followed. Annie didn't hide her scowl this time. One particularly stupid looking bald boy even made to sit next to Annie, she vaguely remembered him being the one Shadis had lifted by the head. She glared at him with piercing blue eyes until he got the hint and muttered a quick apology and laughed sheepishly before making his way to another table.

"You really don't like crowds do you?" Ymir asked with a grin. Annie gave an unladylike snort before returning to her soup. Not a single person from the crowd had approached their table after noticing Annie and Ymir glaring simultaneously. Annie remained alone on her side of the table and Ymir scared away anyone even thinking of joining them.

"Thanks." Annie said quietly, she appreciated Ymir's help.

"Don't mention it."

Ymir turned to see Christa looking at her with a radiant smile. "See, you can do something nice!"

Ymir glared at Christa. "Don't you start!" She warned.

Christa just giggled.

Annie tuned them out for a moment as she caught sight of the black haired girl with the red scarf arguing with the chef. Annie didn't catch what was being said but the chef seemed to give in and the black haired girl walked away with a tray containing four bowls of soup and four loaves of bread. Annie blinked. Why would she need that much food? And why would the chef let her?

The girl then headed towards the group carrying her load and paused as she looked impassively at the large group blocking her way. Annie looked on curiously wondering how this girl would respond.

"Move." She said once, quietly.

Nothing happened.

"Move please."

Annie noticed the girl in the red scarf frown slightly at being ignored and couldn't help but relate a bit to the situation. Annie was still looking at other similarities between them when the black haired girl raised a foot knee high and brutally stomped on the foot of one of the boys in her way, twisting and crushing it for good measure.

The boy yelped in pain before the black haired girl used her shoulder to powerfully knock him to the floor. The crowd surrounding the green eyed boy all looked back warily as the black haired girl gazed back with a bored gaze at them. "I said move." The crowd all stepped back as she set the plates onto the table. Annie was impressed. The black haired girl had strength about her, something Annie sorely lacked.

One brave boy moved towards the black haired girl, "Here, let me help you."

"No. Leave."

"It's okay-" He started as he touched a bowl. Since the black haired girl had already distributed two bowls and bread to the green eyed boy and the tiny blonde next to him, her right arm was free. Her arm was blindingly fast and slapped the boy. The resounding crack was nothing compared to the sound as the boy hit the wall before dropping to the floor in pain. The black haired girl's expression hadn't changed, acting as if it was a normal thing to do, hitting another person with such force.

Once again silence reigned in the room.

"That bowl isn't for you." The black haired girl said as she placed it next to her and sat.

Ymir whistled approvingly. The black haired girl glanced at them briefly and turned back to watch her food, but didn't touch it just yet. The green eyed boy meanwhile had already finished the soup and had started on the bread. Annie guessed that the girl in the scarf was waiting for someone.

"That girl is unique." Ymir commented quietly. "Even I can't do that."

"She scares me." Christa admitted nervously.

Ymir gave another massive grin. "Don't worry Christa! I'll protect you. And if blondie over here doesn't scare you then nothing should." The tall brunette said jerking her thumb towards Annie.

"Annie."

"What?" Ymir asked.

"My name, Annie." Annie said before nibbling a little bit of her bread, she didn't quite like being addressed as 'blondie'. She didn't think it was possible but Ymir's grin grew even wider.

"So it does talk."

"Ymir that's rude."

Annie tuned them out again when the doors opened for what she seriously hoped was the last time. Ah, so that's where her wayward teammates were. Reiner would make to sit next to her, she knew. ' _So much for being alone.'_ She thought angrily. What caught her attention however was the golden haired boy with whisker marks walking in between them, with a girl slung over his shoulders. Her eyes widened a little in recognition. He had gotten taller, his hair longer and his eyes an even deeper blue than she remembered. Her breath hitched momentarily. She had only caught glimpses of him from a distance earlier, but now the boy she often thought about looked even better than she expected.

Ymir and Christa both noticed her distraction and Annie's miniscule facial reactions but it was enough.

"What is it?"

"Nothing." Annie replied a little too quickly. She cursed the odd feeling she was having in her belly and didn't understand what it meant. She immediately tried to hide it but Christa and Ymir had already glimpsed more than enough. Both girls turned to face the door to see what could possibly create such a reaction in their companion. Once they turned back Christa was smiling happily at Annie while Ymir had a knowing smirk plastered onto her face.

"Nothing eh?" Ymir teased.

Annie tried her best to act normal and keep her face stoic, meeting Ymir's gaze unblinkingly. Maybe the tall brunette would forget about it if she didn't give anything away.

"My my, one of them is tall isn't he Christa."

"I guess…" Christa answered unsure where he friend was going with this. Ymir was staring straight into Annie's eyes across from her.

"And one is really broad shouldered."

Christa glanced backwards to see the tall one and the broad shouldered one getting food. "Yes, he is…"

"And the one in the middle has beautiful eyes."

Annie blinked.

Ymir's grin widened, bordering on malicious. "Bingo."

Annie's jaw slackened a little with widened eyes in shock at Ymir's perceptiveness and the success of manipulating her. Ymir crossed her arms triumphantly grinning at Annie like a fool.

Christa was still observing the new trio when she turned back around and saw Annie's reaction and Ymir's stance. "What happened?" She asked, positively clueless.

"Annieee, our friend over here, finds one of them interesting. Care to guess which one?"

Christa's large eyes grew to a certain degree as her mouth morphed into an 'O' in realization, looking from Annie back to the golden haired boy.

Annie tried ignoring them and stared at her soup as she tried drinking it just that little bit faster. If she didn't acknowledge them maybe they would forget about it. She could feel her cheeks heating up and she didn't like the new feeling at all. Her hopes were dashed a short second later.

"Ignoring us won't work Annie. You can't avoid this one." Ymir mock scolded.

"Can it be… our secret?" Annie struggled to get the words out. She hated to resort to this level but girls that were her age back in her village had used the same phrase to keep something between themselves. She guessed there was some sort of power to the phrase that made them keep their mouth shut, but if it worked for them then it would work here. She hoped so anyway.

"Of course not!"

"Of course!"

Christa looked at Ymir pleadingly.

"Fine, but only if she agrees to be our friend." Ymir looked challengingly at Annie. "So, what's your choice blondie?"

Annie sighed dejectedly. She had been manipulated again. "Fine."

"See Christa I made a friend."

Annie ignored the duo once again. Saying anything in front of Ymir was tantamount to suicide apparently. And Annie doubted she could kill Ymir with the many witnesses around at the moment. She grimaced a bit as Reiner approached and sat right next to Annie. "Hello Annabeth. Made some friends?" He asked curiously as he started munching on his bread.

Annie turned to glare at him. "Don't call me that. I will kill you." Annie hated the name her father had given her with a passion. It had been the name of her mother, a woman Annie knew nothing about but whom she despised for leaving her with her father. She wouldn't tell Reiner why she hated that name, but it should be enough for him to know that she hated it.

Sensing the hostility in Annie's tone not present earlier all presence of happiness left Ymir's face as she scowled at Reiner. "Hey chunky, can't you eat somewhere else?"

"Every other table's full." He said off handedly with his mouth full.

Annie hated that what he had said was true as she looked around to confirm it.

"Then we switch. Sit where I am and I'll sit next to Annie." Ymir ordered as she stood to her full height. "And don't you dare sit across from her." She added as she moved around the table. "And you, out of my way lanky. Come Christa sit next to me."

Reiner looked on stupidly for a moment before Ymir hauled the large boy up and shoved him away. "Didn't you hear me chunky?" Annie was surprised at the forwardness and courage of Ymir. Despite Ymir's considerable height, Reiner still had quite a bit over her.

Ymir took her seat next to Annie and the blonde girl gave her a weak grateful smile. Annie was seriously switching from hating Ymir to being grateful. Nobody else would have done that for her, and especially not shoving Reiner the way she had done.

"Other side of the table chunky! You aren't sitting next to Christa either. And take lanky over here with you." Ymir ordered aggressively with a sneer. Annie briefly wondered if Ymir would be as confident if she knew she was ordering both a colossal titan and an armoured titan around like toddlers.

"Come on Bert, grumpy bitch this one." Reiner grumbled as he took his place diagonally opposite Annie as far away as possible on the table as possible.

"I heard that chunky!"

"The name's Reiner." Reiner muttered darkly.

"And nobody asked you." Ymir shot back. Annie noticed Christa discreetly tugging on Ymir's sleeve, probably trying to warn Ymir not to aggravate Reiner further. It seemed however, that Ymir had much more of an abrasive personality than even her.

"Just eat Reiner. It's fine." Bertholdt said quietly, attempting to play peacemaker.

Ymir was having none of it. "Yeah, listen to lanky over there, you might learn a thing or two, chunky."

Reiner frowned at her. "Don't call him that." He warned dangerously.

"Or what? The big man is gonna' punch me?" Ymir mocked, making a baby face and kissy sounds. "Such a manly one you are." Annie was exceedingly thankful she hadn't inspired Ymir against her earlier on. She was enjoying watching Reiner get beaten down but didn't fancy having that happen to her.

"I just might." Reiner growled while Bertholdt chuckled nervously.

Ymir's face turned positively dangerous. "Bring it." Annie was curious if Reiner would actually comply. She was even more curious however, how Ymir would fare, being considerably smaller than Reiner. Ymir reminded Annie of a vicious dog that took large bites without checking if it bit off more than it could chew.

The confrontation however wasn't meant to happen. As it turned out both Reiner and Bertholdt were distracted by the sudden silence around them caused by the black haired girl in the red scarf standing tall and moving to greet the golden haired boy who had entered. The entire camp had seen the two of them earlier in the day and were wondering what the relationship between the two was.

"Who is she?" The black haired girl asked simply, staring at the girl hanging from the golden haired boy's shoulders. Annie had a feeling she wasn't very pleased, despite the impassiveness on her face.

The golden haired boy shrugged. "Potato Girl."

"Why are you carrying her?"

"She fell in front of me."

"Give her to me."

"It's fine, I go-"

"Please."

"Alright, here. Catch."

The entire room, Annie included, was shocked when he tossed potato girl over his shoulder towards the black haired girl. There was no way that could possibly end well. Everyone was stunned however when the black haired girl effortlessly caught potato girl. It only reaffirmed what Annie knew about the black haired girl, she was unbelievably strong. That her knees didn't even buckle under receiving the additional weight was a testament to that fact. Once again the black haired girl's face remained unchanging.

The black haired girl searched around for a brief second before spotting Christa. Nodding to herself the black haired girl deposited potato girl into Christa's lap. "Take care of her."

Christa gave a small squeak in surprise. Annie wondered if Ymir was going to take offense to this again, however the expected outburst was unavailable. It seemed even Ymir knew when she was outclassed.

Annie vaguely recalled potato girl's name was along the lines of Sasha. Shadis had bellowed it out earlier after all. Right after however, Sasha's nose twitched and her eyes shot open to catch sight of Christa looking down worriedly at her holding a piece of bread.

"My angel." Sasha whispered while drooling before gobbling up the bread like a grinder.

Ymir and many others just burst out laughing. The noise level returned with a vengeance as everyone began talking once again.

Annie on the other hand watched as the black haired girl walked back up to the golden haired boy.

"Where do you want to sit?"

"I'll sit on this table, next to Bertholdt and Reiner."

"Okay, I got your food for you." Annie saw the stoic girl's face morph into one with a gentle smile. Annie was momentarily stunned at the exotic beauty of the other girl when she smiled.

The golden haired boy smiled back equally gently. "Thanks Mikasa, but you didn't have to wait for me."

"It's okay Naruto, you know I don't mind." She replied softly as she handed him his bowl of soup and bread before picking up hers. Her food was still untouched. Annie made the connection right that second, the black haired girl had been waiting for him. The simple gesture was so pure of raw emotion that Annie had to forcefully grit her teeth to push down the jealousy that reared its ugly head and her chest constricted so much it hurt. Nobody had ever cared about her that much.

They made their way over to Annie's table with Mikasa making a small gesture towards the green eyed boy and their smaller blond companion who both stood and made their way over as well. Mikasa chose to sit directly in front of Annie and patted the seat beside her for Naruto while the green eyed boy plopped down into the space between Naruto and Bertholdt. Annie sighed. What started out as the emptiest table in the room was now filled to full capacity with ten people. She, Ymir, Christa, Sasha and the small blond boy on one side with Mikasa, Naruto, the green eyed boy, Bertholdt and Reiner on the other.

Mikasa gave an acknowledging nod in Annie's direction before turning to ensure Naruto had started eating before she bit into her own bread. Once again Annie saw the resemblance between the two of them. Mikasa had chosen the edge away from the crowd and was silently observing the others as she ate. They were also startlingly different as despite her hatred for crowds, the black haired girl seemed willing to follow the green eyed boy and the golden haired one anywhere.

"Why hello there goldie, aren't you good looking?" Ymir smirked in greeting at the golden haired boy sat across from her. Annie held back a groan, she was back to hating Ymir again.

"Thanks brownie." Naruto replied without a beat.

Annie noticed Reiner choke slightly on his bread and got a little bit of pleasure from his suffering. He deserved it. She wondered however how they knew Naruto.

"Sharp too. I like you goldie." Ymir decided suddenly. "But I don't think it's only me." Annie was glad that she hadn't been drinking her soup at that moment. Annie saw noticed Mikasa's eyes flash in displeasure at Ymir leaving no doubt as to what she thought of the taller girl. The look however disappeared behind the impassive face one again just as quickly leaving Annie to wonder if she had imagined it.

"Ymir." The tall brunette said as she held out her hand for Naruto to shake.

"Mikasa." The black haired girl said suddenly and grasped Ymir's hand in her own.

Ymir's wince as the black haired girl shook her hand didn't escape Annie. Well, Annie hoped Mikasa didn't offer to shake her hand now. Or maybe it was just because Mikasa didn't like Ymir? Annie wasn't especially eager to find out, seeing Ymir rubbing her hand painfully after Mikasa finally let go.

Naruto seemed to have noticed as well and raised an eyebrow at Mikasa. The black haired girl gave a small shrug and went back to eating. "Naruto." He said simply.

"Oooh, hey Naru." Ymir cooed.

"Oi, that's not fair. Shortening your name makes it like 'yum' or something." Naruto protested. "So I guess I'll call you yummy." Mikasa slapped his arm lightly.

Ymir smirked at him. "You know, if you think I'm yummy you could always have a taste."

Naruto shrugged. "I guess we'll never know till we find out. Wanna' give it a go?"

Mikasa pinched him, hard.

"Okay okay! bad joke! Sorry Mikasa." Naruto laughed as he apologized sheepishly.

"Don't apologize to me. I wasn't the one you were degrading."

"Alright! Sorry… brownie."

"No problem goldie."

Mikasa gave a resigned sigh, but Annie still saw the small smile tugging at the other girl's lips.

Everyone else at the table then started introducing themselves. The small blond boy went first. Annie pitied him a little as he was sat directly across from Reiner. That should make introductions hard.

"Hi, I'm Armin Arlert."

All confidence left the boy after that and he looked down at his soup and Annie had to keep from snorting. That had been pitiful.

"Christa Lenz." Christa greeted immediately.

"Reiner Braun." Reiner grunted as he finished his soup.

"Bertholdt Hoover."

"Eren Yeager." The green eyed boy declared confidently. Annie took immediate notice, this was Grisha's son? Naruto apparently wasn't the only one with such fire in his eyes. Annie knew Bertholdt and Reiner would also strive to form a friendship with this boy because of his father.

"Ymir." The tall brunette announced her name again in a bored fashion, head propped on an arm.

"Naruto Uzumaki." The golden haired boy introduced himself with a wide grin. Annie's brain went a mile a minute. She had heard that last name before, if only she could remember where. The problem was, that name belonged outside the walls.

"Mikasa Ackerman." The black haired girl stated emotionlessly, face not moving from her food. Annie froze. That name had been on their mission file as a family to avoid due to the danger they posed. Now there was one in their very midst and she saw the warning had merit. Mikasa had already shown casual displays of strength that not even Reiner was capable of, and she was still young. Glancing at her two teammates their reactions had been the same, sharing uneasy looks with one another.

All eyes then turned to Sasha, who was gobbling down food at an alarming rate.

"Um, slow down, please? You might choke yourself." Christa said worriedly.

"I'm just going to call her potato girl from now on." Naruto said with a shrug. "She's like a wild animal."

Reiner and Eren chuckled, even as Mikasa pinched Naruto again. "Her name is Sasha."

"Same thing." Naruto and Eren replied simultaneously while giving each other a high five. Mikasa just shook her head.

"And you." Mikasa asked, finally facing Annie directly and looking her in the eye.

Annie felt a twinge of fear but did her best to hide it. They couldn't possibly know, otherwise she would be dead by now. Grisha's son, an Ackerman and a name from outside the walls she couldn't place. All she knew was that one was someone they were supposed to check up on, the other posed a grave threat and wherever Naruto was from outside the walls, it was far from them.

"Her name is Anna-" Reiner was cut off by Bertholdt stomping on his foot underneath the table even as Annie turned to try and pin him with a glare. She was slightly thankful Bertholdt had shut him up.

"Her name is Annie by the way, something chunky over there can't quite seem to get." Ymir clarified for the rest, grinning again in Reiner's direction.

"Will you stop calling me chunky?" Reiner asked in exasperation.

"Will you stop calling me chunky?" Ymir repeated in a baby voice.

Reiner's eyes narrowed. "Are you mimicking me?"

"Are you mimicking me?" Ymir copied again. "What does it look like chunky? Gosh you're dumber than I thought."

Luckily a fight didn't erupt on the table thanks to Eren, although Annie was sure he didn't mean to do so.

"That red haired shit." Eren growled as he stood, marching over to another table. Mikasa made to follow him but Annie noticed Naruto place a calming hand on hers and gesture her to sit back down. The black haired girl followed reluctantly as they all turned to watch the scene.

"You coward!" Eren bellowed, silencing the room for what Annie thought could be the fifth time so far. The people sat at her table seemed awfully good at it.

"Yeah so what! Do you think I want to do anything otherwise?" The red haired boy shouted back as he also stood. "I want to be part of the top ten and go to the inner walls! What's wrong with that?"

"Everything!" The two boys were now face to face. Annie supported Eren in this matter, so far a lot of people within the walls were worthless cowards. Eren however was one of the few who stood against the tide, and she was sure Naruto was exactly the same. She could see it in their eyes. "What's the point of learning to be the best titan killers only to go and hide like some sissy!?"

"Well I'm sorry if I'm not suicidal!" The red haired boy spat as he shoved Eren backwards. "Care for a rematch Yeager? Now that your brother isn't here to protect you?" The red haired boy challenged as he got into a fighting stance. Annie could feel the atmosphere of the room as they all tensed in eagerness for the impending fight. She shared a look with Mikasa as they both sighed. Useless sheep.

Naruto cleared his throat loudly to get the red haired boy's attention and many were surprised when the red haired boy winced.

"Don't mind me Kirstein, go right ahead."

Annie noticed Eren grinning savagely and pondered for a moment about his sanity, but catching Naruto grinning similarly to his brother with their eyes glinting was just incredibly disconcerting. Eren seemed to have noted the approval in his brother's voice and suddenly charged towards the other boy, closing the distance and landing a solid punch that dropped the other boy to the ground, all within seconds. Once down Kirstein could hardly protect his face as Eren rained down numerous blows on his adversary.

The doors bursting open once again stunned the room into silence, but this time for very good reason. Their vicious instructor was standing illuminated by the torchlight, looking utterly terrifying at having to enter the mess hall. He cut an imposing figure, Annie had to give him that.

"What is going on here!?" He roared dangerously, his eyes searching eagerly for a culprit. Eren wasn't hard to find and Annie held back a snicker. The green eyed boy was still pummeling Kirstein, unaware of his surroundings. Naruto had no reservations however and outright burst out laughing in loud laughs. He was the only one brave enough to do so. Luckily Shadis only glanced towards him.

Shadis stormed over to the green eyed boy and lifted him by the scruff of the neck to glare into his eyes. "What the hell do you think you are doing!?" Annie would never allow someone to shout into her face like that.

"Horseface said he would be one of the top ten and go to the inner walls." Eren said cheerfully, grinning into Shadis' face. He had guts, Annie would give him that. Shadis meanwhile looked like he wanted to throttle Eren but seemed to restrain himself from doing so.

"First of all, you don't have a right to tell him otherwise." Shadis started, "Second, I will say this only once, I don't want any fighting unless it's in the combat lessons. Understood?"

Eren nodded vigorously.

"Good, now back to your dorms. I don't want you to finish you food."

"Good thing I'm done then sir." Eren added.

Annie swore she could see Shadis' eyes twitch dangerously as he dropped Eren.

"And you," Shadis said continuing to the second boy, "You will only make it into the top ten if I say so. Right now you look more like horse shit than a horseface. I doubt you will survive this training looking like that on your first day. Now get out of my sight and for the love of all that is good put some ice on that face."

Kirstein nodded before bolting from the room after Eren.

The silence that then returned as Shadis scanned the entire room was very welcome in Annie's opinion. The only sound that was heard was the constant munching of bread. Annie almost groaned in frustration. Sasha still hadn't stopped eating? She wasn't even supposed to be here in the first place! A strong sense of déjà vu hit Annie as Shadis' disbelieving stare bore down on the unfortunate girl. There was no masking the annoyance on his face this time as he caught sight of her. "What the hell are you doing here?" He growled out, only to be ignored. Annie never thought the saying that 'history repeats itself' could happen as quickly as twice in the same day.

Sasha looked around still munching and wondering what everyone was staring at. Armin and Christa slowly edged away from the girl as much as they possibly could without leaving the table. Annie sighed. That girl had dug her own grave. The next few moments saw Sasha getting thrown out rather forcefully and sent to her rooms, Shadis muttering he would leash her like a dog if she didn't change.

"Will someone tell me why she was in here? I thought I ordered her to run until she collapsed."

Annie saw Shadis glance in Naruto's direction and Annie knew that Shadis knew exactly why potato girl was here. Naruto seemed to know it to and stood to attention.

"It was my fault sir."

"And it's your fault how exactly Uzumaki?"

"She collapsed in front of me sir. So I carried her over here." Naruto admitted, standing proud and not regretting his actions one bit.

"Why?" Shadis seemed confused.

"Because she needed the help sir, and she is a comrade. I will never leave a comrade behind." Naruto declared proudly.

"Admirable Uzumaki, some of the people here could learn from you. But you still broke a direct order to leave her alone and you shall be punished. Leave your dinner and head after Yeager and Kirstein, do make sure they know the way." Shadis seemed torn between belittling what Naruto had done and admiring him for it. Annie's father wasn't like that. He belittled everything she did.

Naruto nodded and tossed his bread to the only person on the table who had her bread stolen by the ravenous Sasha. Annie had a momentary flashback to a younger looking Naruto who had done the exact same thing years ago and she hid a small smile as he walked away with Mikasa and Armin getting up to follow. He hadn't changed.

She didn't notice Bertholdt prodding Reiner and nodding to each other and glancing at Annie with concerned looks.

* * *

Mikasa was concerned for Naruto. While she knew he was fine with going hungry, it didn't sit well with her. She didn't want him to suffer. No one had seen her swipe a spare loaf of bread from an unsuspecting table as she brushed past. This meant that Naruto was indeed surprised when she shoved the loaf of bread into his mouth. "Eat." She ordered.

The golden haired boy knew better than to do otherwise and began to chew eagerly on the bread, bringing a smile to Mikasa's face. She knew it was in his nature to help Sasha earlier, but that didn't mean that she had to like it. She was very uncomfortable with him carrying another girl over his shoulder and she had tried not to make it obvious earlier, unsure if she succeeded. Mikasa grit her teeth, annoyed at the confusion she was feeling. She had never reacted like this before. Then again, Naruto never actually carried another girl aside from her before.

"Hey guys I was waiting for you." Eren called out, appearing out of the shadows. Night had fallen while they ate, it seemed.

"How touching, couldn't sleep without your big brother protecting you?" Naruto teased.

Eren's indignant scowl was answer enough. "Oh come off it. I was just waiting for you so we can walk back together."

"Or you don't know the way to the boy's dorms." Armin pointed out.

Eren's ears turned bright pink. "Maybe."

"You weren't listening earlier, Eren?" Mikasa asked.

Eren glared at her. "Well sorry if not everyone is focused on every word that others say Mikasa!" he snapped irritably. Mikasa tried to hide the stab of pain she felt at that again, but she knew Armin and Naruto had seen it. She just didn't understand why Eren kept getting increasingly annoyed with her. Recently he had even accused her of taking up more of Naruto's time that there was less for him. That had stung. But as much as she loved Eren, she wouldn't give up her time with Naruto just for him. She didn't want to be alone. Armin to her was the little brother that she deeply cared about, but never really spoke to. Naruto spent the most time with her among her brothers, and if he spent more time with Eren then Eren would have more reason not to talk with her. Naturally that didn't endear her any more to him.

"Now, now Eren calm down, that's no way to talk to a girl." Naruto said as he grabbed Eren into a headlock and ruffled his hair. He caught Mikasa's eyes over Eren's head with an apologetic look. She waved away his concerns. Luckily, quick as Eren was to anger he cooled down equally fast and the brothers were laughing together. They were standing in the middle of the empty training grounds now, halfway in between the dorms on opposite sides of the large field.

"I'm going to go." She said, turning to head to the girl's dorms.

As she turned her long, dark hair billowed out behind her for a moment and Mikasa savored the feel of the breeze on her neck and the weight behind her. She always liked wearing her hair down because it felt so free. Added to the fact that it made her feel beautiful, knowing that she had something unique. It definitely didn't hurt that Naruto's eyes tended to follow it whenever she spun. She cared deeply for her hair and took as much care of it as possible, diligently combing it every morning and night to keep it straight and shiny. To her, the effort was worth it if Naruto and Eren found it beautiful, maybe it would help Eren notice her much more.

"Why don't you cut your hair?"

Mikasa froze in her tracks, unable to believe what she had just heard. That sentence alone hurt enough, but the voice that accompanied it was far worse. Mikasa couldn't believe it was Eren's idea. She refused to believe it. But there was no mistaking that voice.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "What?" She asked unsurely as she turned to face Eren slowly, her savior. She hated the fact, but if he liked her hair short then she would do so for him.

He was gazing at her hair puzzled. "Won't that just get in the way of the three-dimensional gear?"

Mikasa gathered her long hair in one hand, eyeing it sadly. It now reached her lower back after years of growing it. To have to part with it was going to hurt. "I guess so." She answered unsurely, contemplating having her hair cut by tomorrow.

She never saw the horrified look Armin and Naruto shared behind Eren's back, looking at Eren incredulously.

"Aren't we entering the army Mikasa?" Eren added. "Having hair like that will just take up time you don't have. It isn't worth the effort, what's the point of long hair anyways?"

Mikasa hid her mouth behind the red scarf that Eren himself had given her as she bit back a sob. Eren didn't appreciate her hair. That thought just kept revolving around her head. After all the effort she had gone through, it was worthless. And now she felt like she was going to lose a part of herself once she cut it. But she would try to please him, at least he had a point.

"No. Mikasa isn't cutting her hair." Naruto's serious voice cut into the conversation with the finality of a hammer hitting home. Mikasa dared look at her golden haired brother in hope, taking comfort in his cerulean blue eyes that were slowly darkening into a deeper but more beautiful shade through the years. His face was also resolute, set in one where he had already made up his mind.

"Why not?" Eren turned to face Naruto confused but not angry. Mikasa knew he would have reacted differently if she had said no instead of Naruto.

Naruto walked straight up to Mikasa and she felt her heart skip a beat. He was over half a head taller than her now and she was covered by his shadow. He looked into her eyes as he answered, "She doesn't need to cut it, because she can tie it in many ways so they won't get in the way. If she really wants it out of the way she can always make it into a bun or something." He said thoughtfully as he slowly took her hair from Mikasa's hands and played with it momentarily, admiring its softness. "And her hair is simply beautiful, why would you want her to cut it Eren?"

Mikasa was thankful she was able to hide the entire lower half of her face beneath the red scarf because she couldn't help but blush, Naruto was being incredibly sincere.

Eren shrugged behind Naruto. "Aren't long and short almost the same thing anyway?"

Naruto sighed in exasperation and Mikasa giggled quietly at the look on her golden haired brother's face.

"He's hopeless." Naruto whispered, even as Armin began trying to explain the difference between long and short hair to Eren in the background.

The doors of the hall opened again and they saw Eren turn then stare. Following his gaze they spotted one of the girls they were suspicious of, Kurotsuchi –the girl with pink eyes and short hair similar to Mikasa, walking out with another blonde with straight but short hair, Samui. Being thoughtful once again Naruto had moved to cover her view of what Eren apparently found attractive in hair, but it was too late. Mikasa had seen them and it didn't help that Eren's eyes were following them. The girl in the red scarf felt her heart plummet and let her head hang. She was going to cut her hair.

Until of course, Naruto pushed her chin up to bring her eyes back up to his cerulean blue. "You don't have to cut it just to please him Mikasa." He said softly. "What you do with your hair should be up to you and don't care what anyone else thinks. Just feel comfortable and whatever makes you happy about yourself, not others." He looked thoughtful for a moment and bit his lower lip, an action that distracted Mikasa greatly. "Although if it means anything, I love your hair long. It's gorgeous, unlike mine unfortunately." And it did, his opinion meant a lot actually. She was now convinced against cutting her hair. She didn't want to see Naruto's disappointed face if she did. Eren probably wouldn't notice her even if she cut it short, but Naruto would see her every day as much as he possibly could. Mikasa wanted to keep it that way.

She smiled back at him, unaware how happy she had just made him. "I won't cut it, I promise." She knew just what giving a promise meant to Naruto. She then reached up to mess up his uncontrollable mane of golden hair just a little more than it already was. "And I love your hair just the way it is." She wasn't lying either. His hair was untamable, just like its owner.

"Glad to hear it Mikasa." The black haired girl just loved the way Naruto pronounced her name, it just had a ring to it that nobody else could quite catch. "See you tomorrow."

Mikasa made a small sound which she hoped Naruto took as affirmative. She had a theory to test out tonight, and if proved true then Naruto would be seeing her far earlier than tomorrow.

He narrowed his eyes at her at Mikasa laughed softly. "I'm not planning anything, goodnight Naruto."

The whiskered boy didn't look like he believed her but he let her go with another smile before herding his other two brothers towards the boys dorms muttering something about getting the best beds.

Mikasa watched them walk away with a small smile before turning in the direction of the girl's dorms. She frowned on the way, feeling incredibly strange knowing that her brothers wouldn't be there.

* * *

An hour later and Mikasa's feeling hadn't changed. She wasn't searching for friends among the girls, they meant nothing to her. That and many of them spoke about pointless things Mikasa couldn't quite grasp about make-up and dresses. She didn't fit in and some of them were understandably terrified of her. She didn't mind though. As everyone started settling down she sat in the corner most bed with the only girl she seemed to be able to get along with. It was probably due to the fact that they both didn't like talking with others very much that they could sit next to each other just observing everyone else. Annie was good company and together they scared off any would be conversers.

It was another thirty minutes before someone shut off all the lights and everyone tried to get some sleep. Mikasa tried, and failed, for over an hour to get some sleep. But her body was just far too alert in an unsafe area to go to sleep. She tossed and turned, getting increasingly frustrated, before deciding that she was getting no sleep otherwise. She threw on her pants and shirt before silently shooting out of the female dorms and making her way across the field in the cover of darkness. She never saw the blonde girl watching her impassively as she leapt through a second floor window to find her brother, or the golden haired girl who had watched her leave her bed.

* * *

 **(Same time, two and a half hours after parting)**

Naruto and his brothers had wasted no time in choosing their beds. Since they were the first in the male dorms they immediately headed up to the second floor of the large cabins and chose the corner most spot nearest the two windows so that they had air flowing around them. The beds were in fact large areas of space enclosed by a short wooden fence with a large mattress in the middle that had enough space for six people to sleep comfortably. Three people would be on each side with over a metre in between each of them while the other three would be in a similar fashion but with their feet facing the other three. There was a metre of space between their feet as well. The three brothers bagged one side, with Eren in the middle and Armin closest to the window.

The trio of mismatched siblings then went to wash for the night and brush their teeth before they returned to their beds to find Reiner and Bertholdt settling down as well, across from them. Naruto was happy that people he could trust would share their section of the dorm. A minute later a new addition requested to join and Eren reintroduced Marco to them. Naruto was glad Eren seemed to have made a worthwhile friend in the freckled boy.

They sat cross legged for an hour and a half bonding about inconsequential things and telling jokes before someone killed the lights and they were plunged into darkness. That didn't stop the boys much though as they chatted for another thirty minutes before finally deciding to get some sleep for the big day tomorrow.

Now, thirty minutes later, Naruto was still awake. The others had all fallen asleep, he could tell from their slowed breathing. Well, that and because the majority of boys were snoring heavily, save for Bertholdt, Reiner and Armin. The cerulean eyed boy was deep in thought, wondering what he should do for tonight. He wanted to visit the Underworld again tonight, part of it was to check up on the sanctuary he had set up there for the people he helped. The other part however was far more serious, his usual contacts in the Underworld had just suddenly disappeared without a trace. Naruto had no explanation for this as he hadn't been informed and they hadn't left him a note or message of any sort. He was worried for them since there weren't many who could stand up to Levi in the Underworld. It wasn't unusual for them to go off radar for a month or so, but they always told him where they were or even left Isabel behind to manage the sanctuary. But they had been missing for an entire three months now and Naruto had no explanation why. Despite his tough outer exterior, Levi had a soft spot for the people they had gathered. Something serious must have happened and Naruto wanted to check what it was. He could spend tonight running through the Underworld to try and catch sight of them. And when he said running he meant darting around as fast as he could go.

It wasn't unusual for the denizens of the Underworld to see him under his mask nowadays. Baku, known magician rumoured to have otherworldly powers. Then again it wasn't exactly a lie. He had been sharpening all his skills and senses down there and launching a giant fireball or disappearing in a puff of smoke would seem an awful lot like magic. Naruto made up his mind to start searching as much as he could and return before dawn.

He was just about to sneak out of the building to leave when a shadow leapt in gracefully through the window and landed in between the sleeping boys. Naruto tensed as they were up on the second floor. No normal person would be able to scale this building like that from the outside. The shadow glanced around, surveying its surroundings while Naruto quickly narrowed down the possible suspects to the females with the weird names. If she was here to silence him or his brothers, she would die. If she was here for revenge because of what had befallen Temari and Sasuke earlier in the day, she would not find it.

Naruto grasped the handle of the kunai he kept underneath his pillow and leapt towards the shadow, definitely surprising it. He had planned to hold the shadow with a blade to her neck but the female moved fast and slapped his wrist hard enough to loosen his grip on the kunai but that didn't deter Naruto who changed his plans on the spot and instead used his earlier momentum to crash into her and grab her neck in his favourite chokehold. That option went out the window as well when he found he couldn't get a grip due to some thick article of clothing the girl seemed to be wearing.

Naruto's surprise didn't last as a he was shoved powerfully back down onto the mattress. Following training he rolled with the push and prepared to jump back towards the shadow with his fist cocked back ready for a punch when she drew down her scarf.

"Naruto?"

The unsure voice froze Naruto with his fist inches away from drilling into her solar plexus. "Mikasa?"

"I guess you really were expecting me tomorrow." Mikasa whispered with a soft smile.

Naruto laughed sheepishly in low volume while rubbing the back of his head. He could feel himself blushing in embarrassment even as Mikasa raised an inquisitive eyebrow with a small smirk on her lips. She only did that for him when he did something stupid and he felt like he was getting reprimanded as she put her hands on her hips. Their entire fight had lasted mere seconds and they had been silent enough that nobody had woken up.

"What are you doing here anyway?" He whispered seriously. Naruto knew that it was child's play for Mikasa to scale the wooden building, but she still wouldn't have done so without a reason.

Mikasa shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

Naruto palmed his forehead. "So you come here?" He said disbelievingly. "In the male dorms?"

Mikasa shrugged again with a smile that she only ever gave Naruto on her lips, mischievousness in her eyes.

"Do I look like a teddy bear to you?"

This time Mikasa nodded. "Please?"

Naruto sighed and nodded. It seemed he would have to delay his plans to search for his Underworld partners. Then again he could always leave after Mikasa fell asleep and leave a shadow clone behind. "Come on."

He picked up the kunai he had been forced to drop and slipped it back under his pillow before he puffed it back up. He then lay down and patted the space in between him and Eren. To his surprise the black haired girl shook her head and moved to his other side, laying down next to his outstretched arm and snuggling up to his chest. Naruto poked her cheek to get her attention back up to him as he covered them with the blanket. He raised a questioning eyebrow at her, oblivious to how close their faces were.

"He snores and kicks in his sleep." Mikasa answered simply. "I'd rather he kick you." As if to provide credence to her statement Eren gave a particularly loud snore and turned to a side, narrowly missing Naruto's legs. Mikasa giggled into Naruto's chest.

"Okay, okay, I get your point. Goodnight Mikasa."

She looked up at him one last time and said something that would derail his plans for the night completely. "Promise me you'll stay here with me the whole night? The real you."

Naruto hesitated for a fraction of a second but it was enough for Mikasa to catch, she had her head on his chest after all. Her obsidian eyes changed to one of worry and she looked up at him pleadingly. His hastily made plans of leaving her with a mere shadow clone crashed and burned right then.

"Don't worry, I'll stay." He said as reassuringly as he could. Mikasa didn't look like she believed him and Naruto decided to put the final nail in the coffin of his plans. "I promise." He said as he kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Now go to sleep."

Mikasa smiled and nodded, finally relaxing in his arms. Less than a minute later she was soundly asleep.

Naruto followed soon after, but not before nodding to a shadow clone he had made in the morning to watch over them. It was currently hanging from the roof, disguised as a wooden beam. It had been disguised even before the original Naruto had entered the male dorms and he was sure that the other clone he had made to watch over Mikasa was still in place outside the female dorms disguised as a branch in a tree. He had originally planned on disguising it as a wooden beam as well when Ymir walked out of the showers stark naked. Naruto was not by any means a pervert and could only imagine the beating Hiruzen or Iruka would have given him and the clone itself, being an identical copy to him, had immediately found another place to watch over Mikasa.

Naruto never saw the three pairs of eyes watching his entire movement, wondering what he was nodding at. They had also seen Mikasa enter and the brief and silent struggle that had ensued. The glint of that knife in the moonlight had been unmistakable.


	6. Training III: All in a Day's Work

**A/N: Hello guys! Nothing much to say really except that I had some free time this past week and managed to get this up and going. I have received a meaningful review and a few PM regarding how Naruto meeting his siblings felt rushed and forced. I'll admit it was. But now I have a few ideas on how to remedy that but I'll need your opinions on whether I should rewrite those scenes or give a summary of what was supposed to change in the author's note for next chapter?**

 **Oh well, you came here for the story so enjoy!**

* * *

 _Naruto never saw the three pairs of eyes watching his entire movement, wondering what he was nodding at. They had also seen Mikasa enter and the brief and silent struggle that had ensued. The glint of that knife in the moonlight had been unmistakable._

* * *

 **Training III: All in a Day's Work**

 **(The Next Morning)**

Cerulean eyes blinked open slowly in the morning light. Due to his lack of need for sleep Naruto tended to wake up earlier than everybody else. Despite how late he had slept the previous night here he was, unable to sleep further. The sun wasn't even up yet.

Still a little bleary eyed, he tried to blink away his hazy vision before letting out a long but silent yawn. As he tried to sit up his attention was drawn towards an increasingly familiar weight on his chest and shoulder. The smooth black hair seemed to shine even in the near darkness and the mesmerizing sight ensured that Naruto found himself captivated once again. Eren may have had a good point about the hair being a disadvantage in battle but Naruto didn't care. Even without her voicing her opinion against it he knew just how much Mikasa loved her hair, it was something that she felt made her unique and she wouldn't dedicate the amount of time she did to diligently comb it every morning and evening if she didn't care about it. Mikasa would also ask him quite regularly if her hair was just fine and Naruto would be lying if he said he didn't adore it almost as much as she did. It should have been a crime to possess such distractingly wonderful hair.

Naruto would rather die than have to see her cut it off. Okay maybe that was exaggeration but he would hate it for two reasons. His first reason was it would hurt Mikasa more than a little to have to go through with getting rid of her hair and his second was rather selfish but he loved staring at and occasionally running his hands through it. Despite her efforts however Eren didn't even seem to notice or care much about it.

As he pondered over this the sun seemed to have risen quite a bit and a beam of early morning sunlight shone through the window and onto Mikasa's face. Naruto gaped shamelessly for a moment, awestruck at the surreal sight that lay before him. He had said it before and he would gladly say it again, Mikasa was stunningly beautiful. She was snoring softly too. Naruto grinned. That in itself was cuter than a thousand bunnies. Not that he had seen any bunnies that weren't already cooked but his point still held.

He watched, fascinated, as her body subconsciously reacted to the morning light shining onto her. Her nose crinkled cutely and her eyebrows twitched while her body squirmed a little. Naruto then felt her deceptively strong arms give him an experimental squeeze as if to confirm he was still next to her. The golden haired boy couldn't blame her for reassuring herself as she had often awoken to his absence.

Knowing that he was still next to her seemed incentive enough for the black haired girl to finally open her eyes and gaze into Naruto's own. His breath hitched. Her pitch black eyes shone with so much joy at seeing him still beside her that it caused his stomach to somersault and he swallowed unsurely before he returned her soft smile. He wasn't sure if it was just the sunlight or if her eyes were positively glowing.

"Good morning," She mumbled incoherently.

Despite the weird feeling building in his gut due to having Mikasa's radiant face - quite literally in fact– mere inches away from his own, Naruto's signature grin made its way onto his face out of habit.

"About time you woke up sleepy head," He teased in a whisper, "I was up for hours now and my arm is numb. Thanks for that by the way."

Mikasa shook her head minutely before yawning and snuggling further into his side.

"I don't believe you."

He chuckled at the response before Mikasa swatted him as she complained that his shaking chest caused her head to bounce.

"Either way you need to go soon, this is still the male dorm after all," he said.

"I can pass as a male if I want to," Mikasa argued.

Naruto grinned at the girl who had now closed her obsidian eyes, intent to relax for a minute or two.

"Yeah you probably could," he lied, knowing full well knowing she wasn't in any way, shape or form able to properly mimic a male. To be honest he also doubted her ability to act as a normal female. "But I would prefer you wouldn't, I'd rather have you remain a girl. Having Eren as a brother is more than enough," he added jokingly.

A little way away Eren snored loudly.

Mikasa giggled softly. It was something only he could get her to do and he was proud of himself for it. "That never stops being funny," she replied.

"He wouldn't be Eren otherwise," Naruto pointed out, "But I really must insist, nobody should see you in here and they may wake up any moment."

Mikasa sighed deeply and tightened her arms around him once more before she sat up. She then proceeded to put her hands together and held them above her head to stretch.

Naruto was fairly certain Mikasa hadn't done that on purpose. She was even more oblivious to social parameters than he was. The cerulean eyed boy was forced to look elsewhere, the quick glance he had taken already making him uncomfortable with himself. Mikasa was growing up. With the pose she had taken Naruto had just gotten an eyeful of the woman she was becoming. The view had been splendid obviously but it was also incredibly wrong to look at your sister in that way.

The question was could Mikasa possibly be anything more to him?

He shot down that train of thought quickly. It was impossible. There was absolutely no chance. Mikasa was totally devoted to Eren and for good reason too. There was no reason for that to change anytime soon. With what Eren had done for her how could he possibly compete with that? Sure he had saved her from being eaten by a titan but Eren had saved her from a fate far worse. Furthermore what would Eren feel? Naruto had grown to love all of his siblings and he didn't want any of them to be hurt. Their happiness came before his. It wasn't like he couldn't try if he really wanted to, but he didn't want to be a cause of a rift in the only family he had ever truly had. What was worse was the possibility that he would lose Mikasa's trust and the closeness that he already shared with her.

This was why it was best to just forget about it. He stood no chance and his siblings needed an elder brother. He could sacrifice his feelings for them. They deserved each other more than he deserved either of them. He was after all, just the lonely orphanage boy that had run into them. Naruto resolved to be what they needed and nothing more, nothing less.

Speaking of being an elder brother, Naruto jabbed her lightly in between the ribs. Mikasa shot upwards with an uncharacteristic squeak. She looked startled beyond belief until she brought her hand down to slap Naruto's thigh painfully. "Don't do that!" she yelled, as she batted Naruto's face repeatedly with her fists in annoyance. The broad smile on her face said otherwise however and Naruto laughed loudly in amusement as he tried futilely to protect his face from her determined assault. This here, this was exactly what he was afraid to lose.

"Still ticklish I see!" Naruto teased before he began to tickle her again despite her almost inaudible squeal s in protest.

"Cut that racket out! Who the hell is making girly sounds this early in the morning?" A grumpy voice grumbled causing both Naruto and Mikasa to freeze suddenly.

They shared a momentary look of horror with each other as Reiner and Bertholdt started to move from right across them.

"See you in a bit," Mikasa whispered before she gave him a quick peck on the cheek before she and bolted to the window.

The black haired girl turned to give him one last smile before she leapt out of the second floor window as if it was a normal thing to do. Naruto had just enough time to force a quick smile for her to see before it disappeared just as quickly. He had made his decision and he would stick by it. He never broke his promises, and he had promised them their happiness.

A small cough attracted his attention to the corner of their six person compartment and Naruto turned to find Armin. The blond boy was sitting up in his corner giving Naruto a sad but knowing smile. Naruto wondered how long Armin had been awake but he knew the small blond quite well and Naruto suspected that Armin had been awake long enough to see the entire exchange with Mikasa.

The golden haired boy just grinned back. It was false and they both knew it. He may be closest to Mikasa but Armin understood him far better than the other two. Naruto and his youngest brother had discussed almost every decision with each other and it was the two of them who dreamt up the realistic plans. They weren't very close in the familial sense, but were very close in the sort of way that certain partners were undoubtedly loyal to each other.

There was also the rather significant fact that Armin and Armin alone was aware of every single activity that he had undertaken or would undertake. Armin alone understood his exact jutsu repertoire and their limits. Only Armin knew where he truly stood in terms of power and his weaknesses which they were trying to overcome. Furthermore Armin had been the only one to visit the Underworld alongside him.

It was Armin who had the idea of the Safehouse, the idea of giving them work and safety. The people Naruto rescued were safe there and while he was their saviour, they recognized Armin as the one who gave them life and a purpose to live.

"Where's that girl?" Reiner mumbled as he finally sat up, "The nerve to ruin my sleep where is she?"

"S-sorry Reiner," Armin apologized before Naruto could even start to think of a viable excuse, "Naruto was just annoying me."

Still half asleep and groggy Reiner scratched his head as he tried to sort out his thoughts. "No, like an actual girl."

Bertholdt sighed from beside Reiner as he stretched and rolled his eyes. "These are the male dorms Reiner. What would a girl be doing here? It was probably just Armin," the tall boy reasoned before waving to Naruto and Armin, "Just say you were dreaming of that little sister of yours that you want to marry."

The wide shouldered boy instantly lost all traces of sleep as he gaped and spluttered. "No! No way! Come on guys I don't even have a sister and I don't want one! And even if I did I wouldn't be interested in her like that!"

Only Armin caught the almost imperceptible wince Naruto gave and the small blond sighed.

Naruto could guess what was going on in Armin's sharp mind but chose to ignore it in favour of the ongoing conversation. He could dwell on it later.

"So Reiner, we know you're so eager about her but really? I can't believe you dream so hard about it you thought she was really here!" Naruto pointed out as Reiner turned bright red. The golden haired boy gave a small nod to Armin. Mikasa's presence had been successfully covered up.

"Reiner likes what?" A newly awakened Marco asked curiously.

"Nothing!" The big blond answered immediately as he shot the others a pleading look.

Naruto just grinned back savagely, "Reiner wants to sleep with his little sister."

"And what's wrong with that?" Marco asked, genuinely confused.

"His own little sister," Armin added helpfully, "To be more specific it's not the innocent type of sleep."

The freckled boy's face morphed into one of understanding as Reiner hid his face in his hands, mortified. The other boys burst out laughing at the state of their friend, consequently waking up the rest of the boys in the building. One boy right in their midst on the other hand didn't even budge and his loud snore earned five stares of disbelief.

"Now that's a deep sleep," Reiner commented, still very much surprised.

"At least he isn't having dreams about his sister." Bertholdt pointed out.

Naruto wasn't too sure about though.

"Oh for the love of… gah!" Reiner yelled before he stormed off towards the showers.

Further away from the group of noisy boys a pair of watchful eyes turned to each other. Shikamaru pulled Sasuke's arm to the side and whispered into his ear, "Gather the girls. We need to talk."

* * *

Armin knew that he was small, timid and quite obviously the weakest among his siblings. He couldn't' fight like the other three, or work on the scale they did either. His only saving grace was his mental prowess. Most of the time he could claim that he knew what to do from the very beginning and he was getting better at not letting feelings cloud his judgement.

He liked to think that maybe he was important to his family. Sure Mikasa and Eren relied on Naruto, but Naruto relied on him as a partner and therefore his other two siblings also needed him, although indirectly.

He could easily say that he was probably the closest to Naruto, maybe not in the sense of closeness between people as Mikasa had reserved that spot but in terms of trust Naruto trusted Armin the most. He valued Armin's opinion very highly and that was what he treasured. They planned everything together.

Naruto had even left Armin in charge of the Safehouse they had established. Then again it had been Armin's idea in the first place. His elder brother had a rather bothersome habit of saving anyone whom he thought needed it without thinking of the consequences. See a mother and child about to be killed, save them, then what? Stop a murder, then what? In the Underworld these situations were very common and Naruto would have been stumped if it hadn't been for him. It had been his idea to take a drug warehouse by force and to convert it into the Safehouse. They had then enforced the perimeter with enough seal tags to transform the place into a rather decent fortress good at keeping unwanted people out. Just because Armin couldn't apply the seals due to his lack of chakra didn't mean that he couldn't help design hem.

Seals were a fascinating concept that had endless possibilities and Armin and Naruto could bond for hours pondering over ideas and concepts. Mikasa understood quite a bit of what they did and they valued her input on the ones they did let her see but Eren, well he didn't really have the patience or creativity required for the complex art. That and Eren's handwriting was simply atrocious.

Speaking of Eren, the brown haired boy was a close second to Naruto. Although the bond he and Eren shared was more along the lines of actual brothers. They played together, dreamed together and sometimes just spoke together. Sure it wasn't as realistic as what he and Naruto planned but it was nice to just sit back and dream. There was no changing the fact that Eren was and always would be his first friend, the one who protected him from bullies ever since they had first met.

Armin only found difficulty in communicating with the last member of their random put together family. Mikasa was just, well, she was Mikasa. She was like his older sister no doubt and went out of her way to make sure he was okay but they didn't actually interact all that much. There just didn't seem to be a topic that they could comfortably breach.

Unfortunately now they had a problem. Armin may have been shy but he was neither blind nor anywhere near as socially retarded as his siblings. This was mostly due to the love he had for books, both fictional and non-fiction. Knowing this Naruto had amassed as many books as he could find for Armin to sort through.

The problem as he had stated earlier was what each member of his family felt towards each other. Everyday there was more and more evidence giving credence to his suspicion and it had reached a high point the night before and this morning. Armin had been awake before even Naruto himself and had witnessed everything that had occurred from there. It was undeniable now. Naruto was falling for Mikasa. In his opinion it had been inevitable, especially with how much time the two spent in each other's company.

Armin didn't really mind at all, he actually supported it. It brought a smile to his face when Mikasa chose to keep her hair despite Eren's opinion and all because Naruto voiced against it. His smile had widened even further when he had observed Naruto just admiring her in the morning light. It didn't escape his notice that Mikasa had chosen to sleep next to Naruto for comfort and not Eren.

Mikasa seemed to be very confused with what she was feeling, that or she didn't understand them very well. She wasn't the most synchronized with her feelings after all. If Armin had to guess then she was probably confusing what she felt for her first saviour and what she felt for the one giving her a reason to live.

Eren meanwhile either didn't notice and care about the situation or was very good at hiding what he himself felt. The issue was the night before Eren had pulled Armin aside to ask his opinion on Kurotsuchi, the pink eyed girl. This could either be a ploy to make Armin believe he was interested in her and not Mikasa or maybe it was because Eren was genuinely interested in her. Armin didn't have the heart to tell Eren that he and Naruto were investigating that group and would probably have to dispose of them if they were a threat. He played along anyways although he kept the knowledge to himself, either way it showed that he wasn't as interested in Mikasa as the black haired girl would like.

For all means and purposes there was nothing stopping Naruto and Mikasa, furthermore their closeness this morning had shown incredible promise. Then out of nowhere a stray thought seemed to have struck Naruto and Armin could practically read the golden haired boy's mind. He sighed heavily even as Mikasa missed the sad look that darted across Naruto's face. He was leaving her for Eren. Armin felt like banging his head against a wall. Naruto apparently loved his siblings too much for his own good and it would've been admirable in any other situation but in this case it was the wrong move. Why did everything have to be so complicated? In the end it wasn't Armin's place to interfere, he could only hope this didn't all blow up in his face later on.

Even as Naruto joked around with everyone else Armin easily picked apart the mask and frowned. Was he happy? Yes. But there was a clear undercurrent that dimmed his eyes so that they lacked their usual exuberance. Sometimes he hated being the smart one, because if he wasn't then maybe he wouldn't have to see these sides of his siblings.

Armin put these thoughts at the back of his mind as he focused on the task at hand. He slowly approached the girl he had his sights on. It wasn't because he liked her, it was more along the lines of he wanted to find out something and she happened to be the most likely candidate. It was a simple trick, but if it worked then it would confirm his theory. Normally once someone was speaking a second language, they could almost subconsciously switch in between languages without noticing and that was what he planned to check. Manipulative yes but well, people didn't stay alive by being saints.

The girl he was after was Haku, one of the quiet girls among the group that he and Naruto had temporarily dubbed 'The Amateur Shinobi'. Stupid name yes he would admit, but that was as far as his brother's naming capabilities went.

He had chosen Haku after a process of elimination. Both boys were already discounted because well, they were guys. That and Armin felt like avoiding Sasuke was a reasonable course of action.

From what he had observed the other day Temari had a temper rivalling Eren's, so she was off the list just as Sasuke was. Armin smiled as he remembered Mikasa's much simpler term for Temari, it wasn't pleasant and that said a lot about what Mikasa thought about the girl. The pink eyed Kurotsuchi wasn't that different either, at least Temari looked feminine.

The other quiet one of the group had been Samui, but her haughty expression immediately put off Armin who didn't think he would be able to look her in the eye.

Haku on the other hand had voluntarily treated injuries the previous day and that spoke leagues about her character. There just wasn't a bad vibe coming from her. Armin would have felt bad about manipulating her if he was going to do more than ask her a few mundane questions.

"U-um, hello?" Armin greeted as he approached her. He didn't really have to pretend or act as if he was shy. This was embarrassing. His hands were already sweating profusely and they were starting to shake.

Haku paused in her self-imposed duty of washing her clothes and turned to Armin, a small smile on her face as she answered him.

"Yes?"

"I'm Armin, what's your name?" He asked as politely as possible.

"It is nice to meet you Armin. My name is Haku," she replied back.

Armin wasn't mistaken in his analysis of her being polite. He ignored that and strained his ears to try and focus on the slight accent he had picked on. That further confirmed his suspicions.

"I was just wondering if you had time later, so that you could teach me," he pretended to admit.

She raised a questioning eyebrow at him and Armin once again noticed how her complexion and facial features reminded him of a porcelain doll.

"What would you like me to teach you Armin?" She asked curiously.

"I would like to learn some first aid. I saw you helping some people yesterday and figured you could help me learn."

Armin wasn't exactly lying. He did find the concept of healing slightly intriguing.

She eyed him appraisingly, as if revaluating her opinion of him. Armin flushed a bright red and cursed his body, this was unplanned.

"I do not believe I have an issue with this," Haku said after some thought, "Would you like to start today after training?"

Armin nodded, "That sounds splendid. Should see you under the watchtower?"

Haku glanced toward the watchtower before giving him a nod in return.

"Don't bring anything or anyone else," she added before she returned to scrubbing her clothes.

Armin saw his chance and took it. "{Thank you,}" he responded in Naruto's language as he turned to walk away.

"{Don't mind it,}" Haku replied absentmindedly.

Armin barely managed to restrain his successful grin. She had fallen for it and it was now fully confirmed that they spoke the same language as Naruto. And not merely spoke; she was fluent enough to revert back into it without realizing she had done so. It wasn't unreasonable now to assume that the rest of her regular company also spoke the same. Naruto would have to know about this as soon as possible.

Armin froze in his tracks however when he caught sight of a raven haired boy rapidly approaching him. He gulped nervously as Sasuke glared at him through suspicious obsidian eyes. This was bad. Maybe he could play it off somehow? His mind raced to find a solution to his predicament but the small blond gave up when he came to the conclusion that all he could do was delay until someone arrived to help him.

"Hi! I'm Armin, nice to-"

"Don't you dare play that innocent act with me," Sasuke growled, "What did you want with Haku?"

Armin took more than a few steps back in wariness as the bigger boy advanced menacingly towards him, "I-I was just asking if she could teach me something!"

Sasuke grabbed Armin's wrist to stop him from retreating and Armin winced in pain even as those terrifying eyes stared into his own.

"Look me in the eyes and say that again," he demanded.

Armin hated feeling this weak. The feeling of utter helplessness as a superior force stood over you was so overwhelming and Armin hated himself for even being this helpless. But he just had to hold out, one of his siblings was sure to see him soon and once that happened he would be fine.

"I was asking if she could teach me how to do first aid!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "I don't believe you."

The small blond wanted to shrug and say that he didn't care but his throat seemed to have forgotten how to work. Thankfully another presence appeared alongside Sasuke, one Armin was very glad to see.

Naruto grasped Sasuke's wrist, forcing the raven haired boy to release the grip he had on Armin, before he shoved Sasuke backwards with enough force to make the other boy stumble.

"What's going on here?" Naruto snapped as he glared threateningly at Sasuke who by now had regained his balance and was returning the anger in equal fervour.

Cerulean blue of the daytime sky and golden hair that shone like the sun clashed violently with obsidian eyes and pitch black hair of the darkest night. It didn't need a genius like Armin to observe the enmity radiating between the two boys. They despised each other. Armin could guess as to why. From Naruto's side, his brother had seen Sasuke harm Mikasa, knock out Eren and now threaten his youngest. That was more than enough reason to hate someone in Naruto's books. Meanwhile from what Armin could gather about Sasuke, the boy was a prideful person. So to lose so pitifully against Naruto the other day would have been a serious blow to his ego. That added to the fact that there had been hundreds of witnesses must have been utterly humiliating.

Just looking at the two boys lock eyes already made Armin giddy at the prospect of a possible rivalry.

"Why don't you ask the small one?" Sasuke hissed.

"I didn't see him do anything wrong," Naruto spat back.

Armin was about to interfere before Haku gracefully manoeuvred herself in between both the boys without her calm expression changing.

"Sasuke, enough of this," she said serenely, "Armin speaks the truth, there is no reason to behave so unreasonably."

The raven haired boy looked like he had swallowed a bitter pill at being told off and being proven wrong.

He seemed as if about to say something snarky or sarcastic before a hand on his shoulder froze him in his tracks. The pineapple haired Shikamaru looked very much reluctant to even be in the area but Armin didn't miss the sharp and foreboding gaze that the boy had given Sasuke before his face reverted to its lazy expression. Armin made note of that, he may have found the leader of the group.

"I apologize for my friend. This whole thing is rather troublesome," Shikamaru drawled lazily, "He will leave you alone from now on."

"I am scheduled to meet with Armin later today under the watchtower," Haku told Shikamaru.

The pineapple haired boy turned sleepily to face her.

"Troublesome, I don't see anything wrong with that. But you two will be left alone, that way things will stop being such a drag," he finally decided as he gave Sasuke a sideways glance.

The pineapple haired boy then gazed up at the sky and stared lazily at the clouds.

"We're going then," Naruto said with finality before facing Sasuke, "Just know this pretty boy, I was holding back yesterday. If you touch my siblings again, I'll kill you."

The threat was taken very seriously as all three of the others bristled in alarm. Even the lazy looking Shikamaru tensed and his face lost all traces of laziness. Armin knew Naruto wasn't joking and the other three must have sensed it as well. Armin studied Sasuke's face quickly as the boy seemed to be getting ready to succumb to rage before the raven haired boy suddenly froze as if he was unable to move under his own will. As he looked a little closer Armin blinked to make sure he wasn't seeing things when he noticed that Shikamaru's shadow seemed to be attached to Sasuke's. Before he could further inspect the puzzling situation Shikamaru stepped closer to Sasuke and their shadows on the ground merged into one, leaving Armin unsure of what he had just seen.

"Armin. Come," Naruto ordered as he turned to leave.

Still confused, Armin fell in step beside Naruto.

* * *

"Uchiha, you will control yourself," Shikamaru ordered harshly once the golden haired enigma and his little brother were out of sight.

He detached his shadow from Sasuke, enabling the raven haired boy free movement once more.

"Hn. He wanted something with Haku," Sasuke tried to explain, "And I didn't know what it was. You saw him last night Shikamaru.

The Nara couldn't deny that. Naruto was the only person they had encountered to move with that speed and silence. He was dangerous indeed. But that still didn't excuse the Uchiha's actions.

"I know what I saw Uchiha but that is no reason to blow our cover," He snapped.

They were had been sent here by all their respective villages to try and find the power that the prophecy had alluded to. So far they had come up with nothing and the only way forward he could see was to enter the inner walls of this civilization. Their main problem was security is too high. They couldn't even stick to the walls or dig under them and the soldiers on the wall somehow knew how to detect chakra and the entire place was literally like a fortress built against shinobi! That made no sense considering none of these people were shinobi, or even knew what chakra was but they had tried every way they could think of before arriving at the military training grounds. The only reason they had even managed to enter these walls in the first place was because some insanely huge titan had already smashed it down for them. The only way to infiltrate the inner walls now that Shikamaru could think of was to graduate here and enter the Military Police. None of that was going to happen however if their cover as orphans was blown over a stupid grudge that the Uchiha had created because he couldn't control his temper or his superiority complex.

"Hn," Was the intelligent reply he received.

Shikamaru was angry. He had been put in charge of this mission and he wasn't about to have it compromised because the Uchiha couldn't keep his ego in check. His attention got turned to Haku when she decided to add her own input.

"Armin has invited me to train him in first aid later today, even if the Uchiha refuses to believe it. I plan on using this to our advantage and garner information regarding him and his apparent siblings. He may be planning to apply a similar tactic on me so I will be wary but this is the first step."

Shikamaru nodded and was relieved that at least one member of his team had a brain they were using. If only Sasuke and Temari had held in their tempers the previous day they could've even gotten closer to the golden haired enigma.

"What did we miss?" Kurotsuchi asked as she approached the group along with Temari and Samui.

Once he saw that his team was complete Shikamaru decided to tell them his new plan. Out here in the open was the safest place to discuss these matters since they could be sure nobody was listening in. He explained the situation so far and almost smiled when the others gave understanding nods.

"That girl that calls herself his sister, she may be a shinobi as well. I think both her and her brother. The small blond and the green eyed one are too unrefined. But I saw her scale the buildings as if they were nothing, that's impossible without chakra," Temari commented.

Shikamaru adopted a thinking pose. This was an unknown in the equation that he wasn't quite sure how to approach. Everyone inside these walls was supposed to be something akin to their average civilian, not prodigies like they had just encountered. He wasn't writing off Armin from the list either, just because he didn't seem able to fight didn't mean he was useless. That boy was smart, and smart opponents were the most dangerous kind. Even Naruto hadn't noticed him as he caught Sasuke in the shadow bind. If he was going to write anyone off it was going to be the Yeager brat. The boy was good sure but he was nothing unique.

Shikamaru looked once over his team before giving his orders, "Haku is going to keep tabs on Armin. She has set up her position well. Kurotsuchi, you are boyish and hot headed and the Yeager boy doesn't hate you as much as Temari. I want you to try and communicate with him in some way just do not attract negative attention from Uzumaki. Samui, you are to observe Uzumaki but do not engage, keep your distance and do not annoy him. Temari, carry on observing Ackerman. And for the love of everything good don't make this a drag and start start a fight. Sasuke you will stay by me so I can make sure you do not do anything rash."

Sasuke bristled and his eyes morphed into the blood red of his sharingan, obviously about to attack him. Shikamaru decided that enough was enough. This was going too far. All of a sudden Sasuke found that he was unable to move as Shikamaru caught him in another shadow bind. Shikamaru looked Sasuke straight in the eye even as a tendril of shadow crept up around Sasuke's neck and began to squeeze. While this went on a few more tendrils crept underneath the Uchiha's shirt and the raven haired boy felt them sharpen to the point of knives as they softly cut into his skin, all while he was unable to move. Shikamaru smiled grimly.

None of the girls moved to help the Uchiha, there wasn't really much reason to do so since Sasuke was abrasive at best and Shikamaru was sure to treat them similarly should they even attempt it.

If it was up to Shikamaru, Sasuke wouldn't have even been placed onto the team. He would much rather have Ino or Chouji along with him, not because they were his friends but because it was more practical. Ino's mastery of the mind arts would have been invaluable in this situation. Sure the sharingan could lie and deceive people but it wasn't as discreet as Ino. Chouji on the other hand would have contributed massive firepower in Sasuke's place. Few could compare to the might of a giant after all. But the people selected for the mission had been picked in a very specific manner. Each of the five Great Hidden Villages had held examinations to gather their top three children. The final round had reduced each of the village's candidates to just one champion each. Those had been the girls and Sasuke. Shikamaru however, had been the undisputed champion across all fields and had beaten every single other contestant through sheer wit and cunning. It was for this reason he had been designated the leadership position over the other five and although there had been a dispute over having two Konoha ninja, the other leaders were forced to admit Shikamaru deserved it.

Their purpose was to try and achieve the prophecy that had terrified all five villages enough to temporarily put aside their differences and attempt to cooperate. The issue was the titan threat was heightening to new levels. He wished it was the same mindless titans surrounding these walls but it was far worse. These titans were sentient, coordinated and had powers that even they couldn't comprehend. They called themselves the titans from The Order of Ragnarok and they seemed intent on utterly destroying the world. They were capable of it too. Picture a shinobi using ninjutsu but on a titanic scale, literally. For now they hadn't approached the territory of the Five Elemental nations yet but word had been received from many minor villages that had been found and obliterated into oblivion about the threat. After witnessing the evidence themselves the five Kage of the Hidden Villages took the threat very seriously.

The exact prophecy hadn't been told specifically to them but from what Shikamaru understood there was supposed to be an unimaginable power hiding within these walls that they would need if they hoped to stand a chance against a titan apocalypse. What that power was he didn't know, but that's what they were here for in the first place.

They wouldn't get there however if a certain Uchiha started getting reckless. He was powerful no doubt, but he was easily blinded by his superior eyes and the belief that as the last Uchiha he was an avenger and one that would become the most powerful in the world. Shikamaru scoffed. Sasuke could be dealt with easily enough should he ever rebel. Shikamaru wouldn't be much of a leader if he didn't have contingency plans.

This mission was vital not only for them. It was for their way of life as a whole. Couldn't this Uchiha see that there were more important things than revenge on his brother? He would try to keep the Uchiha in line as long as possible, but he could only tolerate so much. Sasuke had been a flight risk long before the higher ups had assigned them this task. Maybe he could claim Sasuke was reckless and died in battle in his report? It was tempting but no, he was still useful. He would still have to report this however. Gah, being a leader was such a drag.

Fortunately for both of them Sasuke seemed to get the point and deactivated his sharingan in surrender.

"You have your orders. It would be wise to follow them, troublesome."

"But Shika, what if this Uzumaki is the power we are looking for? Like it seems reasonable, maybe he's hiding something big," Temari suggested.

Shikamaru scoffed as he released Sasuke from his shadow bind.

"I doubt a single boy could have the power to move mountains with a flick of his tail Temari," Shikamaru pointed out, "He's strong but no human can possibly house that kind of power."

* * *

"Annie, you called?" Reiner asked as he approached. He was a little wary of his female teammate, wondering if he had gone too far the night before.

Even as she turned those piercing, cold eyes to face him he took an unconscious step behind Bertholdt. She had always scared him. Then again being the daughter of their homeland's Chief Guardian this was practically expected of her. That man was a fearsome warrior, the strongest in their homeland for a reason. He hated to even imagine what kind of life Annie must have had growing up for her to be this detached from the world. To be truthful the most emotion he had seen from her was whenever she caught sight of Naruto.

He wasn't sure what exactly was keeping her from running off or just simply disappearing into nowhere. She didn't care about much after all and it was a miracle she was still here. It wasn't like she was trying to prove anything to everyone back in the Mountains of Paradise. Most of them feared her clan of crystal titans. Sure her family served as one of their strongest defences against the Order of Ragnarok and the humans that called themselves Shinobi but that didn't mean people had to like them. Both forces were serious threat to them, attacking with no other reason than to kill.

He still didn't know what the endgame of the Order was but they seemed set on annihilating every shifting titan in his homeland. The shinobi weren't much better, they appeared out of thin air and wreaked havoc. Their only saving grace was both the Order of Ragnarok and these shinobi had no idea where exactly the Mountains of Paradise were. But they were getting closer day by day. Reiner didn't want to even think of the slaughter that would occur should his homeland ever be found. Only around a fifth of their population could safely shift and fight. Even then they were at risk of going crazy and rampaging around. This was their biggest problem. A large number of their older titans were suddenly going mad with no warning and if they didn't find a way to stop it their entire society would collapse in on itself.

That was why they had been chosen by Grisha and Odin, the leaders of their homeland. They were young and had the least risk of going berserk, added to the fact that they were prodigies of their respective clans. The prophecy that Grisha had gotten a hold of had stated that the key to solve the disease that was spreading among their population was hidden within these walls. Not only that, but there was also a great power among titans hidden here, one that could unlock the potential of every other shifter in their society. It was rumoured to be the legendary Founding Titan. Grisha suspected it was being kept hidden by the Royal Family of the walls but hadn't been able to investigate it before he had been called back to try and help his homeland. This was their goal and Reiner would be damned if they wouldn't achieve it. Unfortunately they couldn't even get past the walls and he really didn't want to have to smash down every set of walls until they got to the royal family. He wasn't that heartless.

What they had done in Shiganshina had been a spur of the moment thing since they had no other way out from getting eaten by a literal horde of mindless titans. How were they supposed to know those mindless things could sniff them out like a shark could smell blood? Grisha should've warned them at least.

And now Marcel was gone too. All their plans were out of the window now. He still felt incredibly guilty for getting himself into a position where Marcel had to sacrifice himself to save him.

But first he had to focus on more immediate matters, namely making sure Annie was still on their side. He held no illusions that he could beat her in a fight. He was only an armoured titan after all, hailing from one of the weaker clans.

"Mikasa Ackerman is dangerous," Annie said quickly.

"Yeah no kidding, I mean if she's anything like Naruto then of course," Reiner tried joking with a small laugh before he stopped awkwardly when Annie's gaze hardened even further. Okay, maybe it wasn't a good idea to try joking with her. He really should've learned after all the years they had been teammates.

"She jumped out of a two story window as if it was nothing and managed to jump the same height into the boy's dorms," she said flatly, letting the gravity of what she said sink into both male shifters.

Reiner traded an uneasy glance with his much taller friend. "That's… uh… well," Reiner said stupidly as he tried to think of something to say, "Even we would struggle to do that. Are you sure she isn't just really good or something?"

"This is too good Reiner. They might be shinobi," Bertholdt added.

Reiner frowned. His tall friend had just said exactly what he didn't want to consider, "That's impossible. It's obvious they were never outside the walls. They were in Shiganshina when we tore through that wall."

"Either way we must be careful around them," Annie interrupted, "You two continue what you are doing with the boys. I shall try to keep tabs on Mikasa."

"But what about that other group of weird people," Bertholdt asked, "They don't behave like anyone else I've seen within the walls either. And they look weird too."

Reiner had to agree with that. It was creepy feeling people watching you. And those people just gave off this unsettling vibe that the broad shouldered boy wanted to avoid as much as possible. He especially wanted to avoid the emo looking boy that seemed eager to get a piece of Naruto.

"I agree. I suggest we avoid them," Annie said with her own placid features sporting a small frown.

Reiner was surprised she had agreed with their analysis but decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. He decided to ask one more important question instead.

"And what do we do about Grisha's son? Do we tell him who we are and check if he wants to join us?" He suggested hopefully. Grisha had been especially worried about his son as the boy had been in danger of shifting far too early for his age and that usually led to children going mad and Grisha wasn't sure if the injection he had given Eren had stalled the boy's shifting ability.

Annie gave him a look so condescending that Reiner actually felt like he had asked something very stupid.

"We were only supposed to check up on him. He's fine. He hasn't displayed any signs of being a shifter so far so why should we bother? And did you forget the hatred he has against titans in general? Much less us, the ones who destroyed his home? He's more likely to try and kill us than join us you idiot. Maybe if he does shift we can consider it but right now is just unnecessary and risky. What if he tells others? What's even worse, what if he tells Naruto?" Annie pointed out.

Reiner froze. He had witnessed first-hand last night the sheer hatred Naruto held towards the armoured and colossal titans. Okay maybe talking to Eren wasn't such a good idea. That and the boy was very stubborn and hot-headed. He laughed sheepishly, trying to stroke his damaged image in front of his two teammates.

"Unless necessary we will not contact each other after this unless we have a reason to, is that reasonable?" Annie asked/ordered, Reiner wasn't sure which but nodded anyways. Better safe than sorry.

After their terrifying teammate left for the mess hall Reiner turned to Bertholdt with a massive grin on his face, "Dude. I told you she was worried about what Naruto thought of her!"

Bertholdt sighed and face palmed, "I liked you better when you were scared for your life."

"Come on now don't be like that, we need some excitement around here!"

"Let's go find your sister then," Bertholdt retorted.

"Enough with that already dammit!" Reiner yelled back.

* * *

 **(Late Afternoon)**

Eren cursed silently as he once again found the world turned on its head. This repetition of results had started to become embarrassing a long time ago. This was near the end of the day already and he still couldn't get this basic exercise down. The brown haired boy just couldn't understand why he couldn't get the hang of it like really all he had to do was balance himself. It wasn't supposed to be this hard, especially after all that time Naruto had spent helping him become a better fighter. How could he call himself a fighter if he couldn't even find his centre of balance?

He had been one of the first to grab a position on the massive training towers that he was now suspended from and he had been attempting ever since the start. Almost a third of the potential recruits had given up after realizing that they had no potential, this was after all the basic steps to properly using the three dimensional manoeuvre gear and if they couldn't pass this then there really was no hope. Eren didn't want to be one of those failures.

It didn't help that Naruto and Mikasa had managed to effortlessly balance the second they had gotten onto the equipment. It wasn't only them either, even that bastard Sasuke and his group had been similar. Heck, even that idiot Connie had gotten the hang of it after a while. He was one of the last attempting this and it was getting him more and more frustrated. He wasn't going to glance in Naruto's direction, even if he could feel the eyes of his golden haired brother on him. If there was disappointment there then Eren knew he would give up.

Maybe if he tilted a little to the right it would work? One more painful dash of his head against the ground had him rethinking that course of action.

"Eren, just relax. Maybe then you can bal-"

"Shut up Mikasa! I know what I'm doing!" Eren snapped. He couldn't help it. Why did she keep treating him as if he didn't know how to do anything? Thankfully she left soon after, probably heading back to Naruto and Armin.

Eren relaxed a little after her departure. At least when Mikasa was around Naruto she tended to forget about him and his cerulean eyed brother would keep her happy. He didn't really hate Mikasa, she was just far too overbearing as an older sister that he couldn't handle it. She watched almost everything he did and worried over every little thing, seriously he could take care of himself. In his opinion what Mikasa should focus on instead of making sure he was fine was finding a way to tell Naruto her feelings for him. He wanted them to be happy, the fact that it would also take Mikasa off his back was just a bonus. Really he didn't understand why Mikasa would waste her time pestering him when she could spend all of that time and energy with Naruto. Like, couldn't anyone else see what he saw there? He wanted his older sister to get someone and there was no one better for her than Naruto. What's worse was his brother was either incredibly stupid or blind. Couldn't that idiot sense Mikasa's feelings? Eren couldn't help but laugh that he was smarter than his brother in this field of all things. He could always just point it out to Naruto but it wasn't really his place to do so, that and Mikasa could quite possibly kill him if anything went wrong.

"Oi you idiot, you're doing something wrong."

Eren was about to shout back at whoever had distracted him as it had caused him to flip on his head once again when he caught sight of pink eyes and his breath held in his throat. It took a second for him to restart and by then he responded in his usual manner, "Why do you care?"

She smirked at him, one side of her lips tugging upwards as she crossed her arms, before she replied, "Nothing much, I just couldn't help but notice how pitiful you looked so I came over to check if I could do anything about it."

Eren felt his face flush red in embarrassment even as he stared at her, still upside down. To have someone you were crushing on say that to you, the pain was almost physical.

"It's not my fault okay! I'm good at this!" Eren protested even as he struggled to get himself the right way up.

Her grin just widened, "Evidently."

"Somethings wrong with this thing! It's not me!" Eren shot back as he finally found his footing and violently shook the harness he was attached to.

The pink eyed girl rolled her eyes, "Sure blame it on the machine why don't you?" Her eyes then narrowed as she inspected the harness closer.

"Can you try again?" she asked.

"For what?" Eren said in confusion.

"Do you want me to help or not?"

After he gave her a snort of disbelief Eren decided to acquiesce to her request and proceeded to slam his head onto the ground for the thousandth time that day.

"And what did you get from that observation o gracious helper?" Eren said sarcastically as he righted himself once more and rubbed his head, "That had better be worth it."

"Something's wrong with your harness. I just don't know what," she admitted after a bit of prompting, "Can you try it again?"

She looked up to see Eren giving her a deadpan look.

She rolled her pink eyes again and sighed, "Fine let's swap harnesses and I'll do it."

Eren grinned at her mischievously, "I'm fine with that."

"You're insufferable you know that?"

A few minutes later the pink eyed girl was strapped onto the 'impossible challenge' as Eren had deemed it and was ready to test her theory.

Eren saw her face harden into one of focus as she was lifted off the ground. In mere fractions of a second she was doing exactly as Eren had predicted. Her upper body lunged forwards simultaneously with the rise of her legs and her head shot towards the hard ground at an alarming rate. Eren's grin of retribution was swiftly cut off however when she did something that had never even crossed his mind. She tucked into herself. The fact that she hugged her knees meant her head was nowhere near to hitting the ground and she kept up that position until the momentum that caused her to spin ran out, allowing her to safely orient herself back into the starting position. No words would describe how he felt, torn between admiring her idea and disappointed why he hadn't thought of it himself.

"Okay something is definitely wrong with this harness," She muttered to herself as she got herself down. Pink eyes turned to him as she spoke, "And wipe that silly look off your face you look even worse than you usually do."

Eren shut the mouth he hadn't realized was hung open.

"You're turn. My harness is fine so unless you're completely hopeless this is pretty much your last chance," She said with a teasing smirk before a slight frown worked its way onto her face and she whispered, "And you might want to hurry too, Shadis is watching."

All of a sudden Eren felt the pressure on him build. He had heard the words last chance and that was enough to freeze him. Looking over the pink eyed girl's head he couldn't help but notice the glint of intense blue from his brother's unique eyes. Naruto was entirely focused on his position and the ball of fear in his stomach clenched so hard it felt like he was punched.

He only snapped out of his daze when a mostly smooth but slightly rough hand placed itself over his. Tracing back the arm to the face of the girl with the pink eyes a gentle smile instead of that teasing smirk assuaged his fears and he felt himself oddly calm.

Strangely reassured he managed to strap himself to the equipment and balance fairly quickly. This was far easier with a harness in good condition. All he had to do was sit, he knew it shouldn't have been that hard.

His state of calm however didn't last very long. He doubted anyone could remain in a state of calm with Shadis glaring at them, his face mere inches from theirs. To make matters worse the terrifying instructor looked like he had just swallowed something bitter before he grudgingly said, "You pass Yeager."

The sour looking instructor then stomped off, probably to go off and ruin someone else's day.

"Thanks for the help," Eren said gratefully as he unstrapped himself, "I may not have been able to do it without you."

She smirked at him teasingly once more, now that the oppressive aura of their instructor had abandoned them. "Aww you're helpless without me?" She asked.

Eren blinked before replying, "Actually not really, my big brother would've come to help me if I was about to get kicked out," he said with a shrug, "I'm just glad it didn't come to that."

Pink eyes seemed to assess the validity of the statement before she nodded and narrowed her pink eyes, "Why? Are you scared of him or something?"

Eren had a feeling she was prying. He wasn't that stupid, it wasn't as if he hadn't noticed her hanging out with Sasuke and his group. That wasn't good. But she had helped him and seemed to be genuinely nice so he would play along for a bit, but he was going to make damned sure he didn't give anything away. And she was pretty too, what a bonus.

"Oh you have no idea. He can be really scary when he wants to be," Eren pretended to admit. He could scare them a little too, assuming she did give the information back to Sasuke.

"Is he scary enough to kill people?" The pink eyed girl disguised her question behind sarcasm and laughter but she was paying full attention to detail.

Eren caught onto that instantly and grinned as he answered, "Definitely, most of them deserved it though." He admitted with a shrug, "And it really isn't as difficult as one would think, human lives can be so easy to take."

Some of his own experiences seemed to have bled through and he wanted to laugh when he saw the pink eyed girl attempt to disguise her nervousness. Yup, Naruto had told them all about his threat towards Sasuke's group earlier on and this was just to ensure they didn't try anything in future. If this girl genuinely wanted to be his friend however then it wasn't too bad, it was much harder to kill someone you considered a friend anyways and that went both ways.

"Anyways let's forget about my brother, there's still some time before dinner if you want to talk," Eren said invitingly with as much an inviting grin as he could muster. Even if he knew he was supposed to be wary around them he did enjoy the brief time he had spent with her, the atmosphere around her wasn't as oppressive as it was around Mikasa and he could just relax in her presence, almost like he could with Armin. Naruto was fun to be around but Eren was always worried one wrong move and his big brother's opinion of him would change, much as if walking on eggshells.

She smiled back, "I won't mind."

As he turned to leave he noticed Armin walking off towards the watchtower where another of Sasuke's group sat patiently and Eren wondered if this was a semi-friendly meeting such as his or if it was Armin on a mission. That little boy scared him sometimes.

He took all of two steps before he lost his footing, almost falling flat on his face, and he spun around to face the culprit. The pink eyed girl was looking at him with a false innocent expression on her face.

"Watch your step, clumsy. You can't blame your harness this time," She teased.

Eren's wore a smirk of his own as he took revenge and kicked her legs out from under her in retaliation. This was definitely better than Mikasa.

It struck him a moment later that he still didn't know her name and attempted to rectify it. He still wasn't sure which of the four names he had been given was her true name however. Yugito, Samui, Haku and Pakura, for some reason none of them seemed to fit her personality.

* * *

 **(Late Night)**

Mikasa felt very strange about how her day had gone. She had no complains about the morning because that was absolutely spectacular but everything else after that had just been strange.

First there was Armin forming a friendship with that girl out of nowhere, even after being cautious and suspicious of their group. Shy Armin of all people had approached a girl, risked an encounter with Sasuke and had built a friendship. That was strange. Then Eren did something similar with the pink eyed girl. Abrasive hot headed Eren had accepted someone's help who wasn't Naruto and had actually began laughing with her. This was strange as well and it hurt, what did that girl have that she didn't? Then Annie just sat with her, seemingly dead to the world. That was strange too but the good type of strange. Like they were content to just sit within each other's vicinity and observe everyone around them. The last strange fact was the stalker Naruto had gained. To be fair she hadn't seen her at all until Naruto had pointed her out but that was definitely strange.

She put all of those behind her now as it was time to sleep and get rest instead of ponder about her day. Naruto had told her earlier that he wasn't going to allow her to sleep within the male dorms again. Her world had crashed for all but a moment until he explained that he had found a place for them within the forest instead. It was an empty space much like a small room within one of the massive trees around their training grounds that had a tunnel through the trunk that was barely wide enough to crawl through. Somehow Naruto had managed to get a mattress and blankets into the small space and Mikasa didn't bother trying to question. It probably had to do with one of those storage scrolls of his. Now that she thought about it further she wouldn't put it past Naruto to have simply carved out this space sometime during the day, it was far too convenient to have such a place just lying around. It was also far enough into the forest that there would be no prying eyes but not far enough that it couldn't be quickly reached. That didn't mean however that Mikasa hadn't taken care to ensure she wasn't followed. She could sense eyes on her just before she entered the forest and she just wasn't sure whose. She trusted her instincts however and right now they told her that she was alone.

She had ventured back outside the makeshift room a while back to wait for Naruto and was only now rewarded with the sight of him appearing from behind the trees. She halted her greeting when he held up a finger to indicate that he needed silence as he hid behind the trunk of the tree in front of her. Mikasa slowly ducked out of sight, maybe he had been followed as well?

She saw what he was up to when he quietly made a physical clone of himself that nodded once at its creator before it shot off in a completely new direction that led far deeper into the forest. A few moments later Mikasa barely saw her but Naruto's new stalker had dashed after the clone. Mikasa smiled. She felt a little sorry for that girl, wondering what kind of chase the kage bunshin had planned.

She didn't bother about it any further when Naruto quickly ushered her back inside.

"What a day what a day," Naruto sighed loudly once they were alone inside their tree room thing.

"Shoes off," Mikasa pointed out with a frown as she took off her own and placed them at the entrance.

She rolled her eyes at Naruto's sheepish grin as he proceeded to do as he was told. He never learned. He always forgot to do the simplest of things.

"So how was your day?" the golden haired boy asked as he dusted off the mattress and pillows.

"Turn around," she replied simply.

"Turn around? What kind of day is th-" Naruto started as he turned to face her but stopped when he noticed her deadpan face. Held in her hands were her night clothes and Mikasa smiled teasingly when realization dawned on Naruto's face.

"Alright! Turn around! Got it!" Naruto answered quickly, "I'll change too so don't peek either!"

"My day… was strange," Mikasa admitted as they changed.

"Strange how exactly?"

"You were there for the majority of it," Mikasa said with a small smile, "I think you know what I mean."

"But I like hearing it from your point of view anyways," Naruto replied as he finished folding his uniform and placed them in the corner, "Are you done?"

"That's nice of you. And yes. I'm done," Mikasa answered. This was one reason she valued Naruto as much as she did. He was always so considerate and willing to spend time with her that she couldn't even comprehend what her life would have been like without him. She and Armin didn't talk all that much and whatever relationship she had with Eren was, as always, strained to the point she didn't know what was keeping them in the same boat.

She turned to see Naruto already lying on the mattress, seemingly impatient to catch some rest as he stared at their wooden ceiling. He was such a knucklehead that it warmed her heart to see him acting so childish instead of the adult he had tried to become for them.

She joined him not long after. He was very comfortable to snuggle against after all and unlike Eren he didn't seem adverse to it either.

"Ymir and Annie were asking why I wasn't there this morning, apparently they are early risers and were surprised by my absence," Mikasa started.

"And how did you explain that?" He golden haired brother asked.

"I told them I went for a morning jog," Mikasa said simply, "When they said that I was strange I invited them to join me tomorrow morning but none of them seemed willing."

Naruto laughed in the unique way that Mikasa had come to realize was reserved solely for her. Nobody else could make Naruto laugh in the way he did just now. It wasn't exaggerated, forcefully done or fake, it was just… him. She had no other way to describe that genuine laugh.

She listened partly to the humour that was Naruto's morning as he covered up her presence with the help of Armin, preferring instead to just relax against him. Mikasa made sure to give signs she was listening however, those were important unless she wanted him to stop. She could listen to him talk all day and night, she was that relaxed in his presence. That didn't seem to be his plan however as he nudged her to give more input in the conversation after he had finished his part.

She briefly explained her confusion about Armin's actions and Naruto was quick to assuage her fears.

"Don't worry about him Mikasa, he knows what he's doing. This was just a way for him to confirm something and he knows now that they speak our language. They are quite possibly shinobi from outside the walls now, I know this much. Their leader, the pineapple haired lazy guy, might even have a bloodline limit. Armin is kind of sure he saw the boy's shadow move and freeze that idiot Sasuke. The only reason I haven't done anything yet is because I don't know what exactly they are after. Even if it's something illegal or bad it as long as it doesn't really affect us four then I don't see an issue. We're trying to leave the walls once we graduate anyways." Naruto explained, " Armin is convinced that Haku is overly friendly though and she seems to genuinely get along with him. Armin is just waiting for her to slip up in some way but he claims she is very knowledgeable in using herbs."

Mikasa frowned, "Isn't that as if he's just using her?" She didn't like what Armin was up to if this was the case.

Naruto shrugged before he replied, "I'm not sure really. Maybe he is maybe he isn't but I trust Armin enough that I believe he won't go too far."

Mikasa only hoped that was true. In her opinion Armin was too gentle to be involved in matters such as these.

"Stop frowning, I can feel it from here," Naruto teased and Mikasa felt her face flush before she buried it deeper into his side. He couldn't even see her face but he knew what she was doing.

"By the way I also noticed you made friends with the small Annie girl," Naruto pointed out as he kept the conversation going, "How did that happen?"

"I don't really know. We don't even really talk we just sit next to each other and it feels nice," Mikasa told him as she struggled to find the appropriate words to describe the situation. Was she really friends with Annie? She certainly hoped so. Unfortunately she wasn't quite sure what friendship actually entailed so she was at a loss.

"Basically both of you are socially awkward and nervous or annoyed when there are a lot of people so you both prefer to be away from noisy crowds and somehow figured that it would be better if you had someone to be socially awkward with and be crowd phobic alongside," Naruto summarized casually with a shrug.

Mikasa's jaw dropped at how insightful her cerulean eyed brother could be without even realizing it most of the time. She didn't have a proper response to what he had just said so she pinched him instead.

"Ow! Hey! What was that for!?"

"Stop being so annoying," Mikasa said matter-of-factly. She felt proud of herself for saying it the way she had, as if it explained what she did.

"Annoying? What did I even do?"

"I don't know."

Mikasa felt another smile tug at her lips with his frustrated sigh. He just played along anyways, she doubted she had ever even genuinely angered him in all the time they had spent together. That would hurt beyond all reason. It would hurt much worse in fact than Eren choosing the pink eyed girl over her.

Naruto must have felt the mood change or something because he placed his hand under her chin and slowly directed her face to look up at his. The concerned look on his cerulean blue eyes was palpable even in the near darkness. He was so worried about her that she felt her heart flutter, feeling guilty to have caused him trouble.

"What does Kurotsuchi have that I don't?" Mikasa asked seriously. It was sudden, but she just had to know from another boy's point of view. She had felt so self-conscious about herself for the better part of the evening, wondering what Eren had seen in the other girl that he was so open with her.

Naruto seemed to sense the seriousness of the situation as Mikasa felt his eyes study her face for a moment. She forced a blush back down knowing that Naruto was paying such close attention to her face.

After a moment he finally gave his reply, "Pink eyes. You definitely don't have pink eyes."

Mikasa couldn't help it. She pinched him again. Trust him to try and lighten the mood.

"I'm being serious Naruto," she warned with as much a glare she could muster in the situation.

"Well she has short hair too," Naruto added cheekily. In Mikasa's opinion he deserved the much harder pinch she just gave him.

"Okay. You want me to be serious? She's got nothing that you don't already have. You've got even more actually. You're more beautiful, she's just pretty. You're more reserved, she's too wild and boyish. You've got beautiful long hair that she doesn't. Your eyes are a natural mysterious black, her eyes are this weird pink. Your nose crinkles, hers doesn't. You're more graceful and dangerous in your movements, not at all like her. You're more feminine and demure than she is and from the looks of it smarter too. You're easier on the ears too because you don't shout. But most importantly, the best thing about a girl is if she can make a boy laugh. Good food is important too but what's the point if there is no happiness? And you know what? I can be absolutely sure she cannot make me laugh half as much as you do."

Mikasa loved it. She loved the showering of praises. She loved the sincerity she could feel from him. She loved the simple fact that his attention was reserved for her. In short this was the perfect possible ending to her day. She had him, and she loved it.

"But what if one day she makes you laugh more than I can?" Mikasa probed further, unable to contain her doubts. She was insecure about this, she knew. But she couldn't help it.

Naruto smiled softly at her before he hugged her tighter to him. "How will I be able to laugh with her, if I know that doing so will hurt you?"

Mikasa hugged him back tighter as she felt herself slowly succumb to sleep, feeling more at peace than she ever had. The pain of seeing Eren warm up to a girl that wasn't her was almost non-existent now. It still hurt yes, but it was small enough to be easily buried underneath the warmth she was feeling now from Naruto's reassurance.

"Then I'll be sure to make you laugh Naruto," Mikasa said with a yawn, "And don't worry about me. I'll be fine, as long as I have you," she admitted finally before she blissfully closed her eyes.

* * *

Naruto sighed when he felt Mikasa's breathing even out beside him as she finally surrendered to sleep. Keeping his promise was proving to be more difficult than he had anticipated.

His promise not to leave her with a clone had only been for the other night. Hopefully she wouldn't be able to differentiate when she woke up next to a clone. Naruto silently formed a kage bunshin next to him and substituted with it, leaving the clone in Mikasa's embrace. He had somewhere to be after all and mere clones couldn't handle it.

The golden haired boy decided to leave back up chakra stored within a scroll that he then hid in the tree for his clone to utilize should it require the extra chakra. He wasn't going to be back here for a while.

Hopefully his shadow clone would be able to handle the stress of all that was going on, what with all the mess going on around him. Both his brothers were now involved in some way with some of what he now deemed Shikamaru's group, finalizing that the lazy pineapple haired boy was indeed the leader of the group. What was more confusing was both Haku and Kurotsuchi seemed genuine enough in the friendships they were forming with his brothers and Naruto was confused what to feel regarding his current predicament. Especially since he had to comfort Mikasa after seeing Eren make his choice. How would those two end up together like he had planned if Eren was so set on another girl? He hoped Eren was only after Kurotsuchi for friendship, he didn't know what he could do for Mikasa otherwise.

Why was all of this so complicated? He wished it was as simple as it used to be, training during the day and sleeping at night. He pushed it all to the back of his head as he felt his personality switch.

Naruto's face hardened as he prepared himself mentally for the journey back to the Underworld. He placed on the face mask he had designed for himself, the demon etched onto it signifying his Underworld identity quite well. It was time he checked out the Safehouse once more as well as try and solve the mystery of what had become of Levi and his friends.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello again! Hope you enjoyed! I hope I explained the motivations of everyone clear enough and if there is any further confusion I would be glad to help out or clarify in future chapters. To the reviewer claiming he doesn't believe Levi could be on par with a chakra enhanced Naruto, all I can say is be ready to be surprised, there's a reason for that which I am curious if any of you can guess.**

 **Anyways my editor pointed out one scene as confusing so just in case, Kurotsuchi told Eren to guess her name among the four names she gave, and her own name wasn't in the options. That was deliberate and is known as a prank, to my understanding anyways.**

 **But on to the main point, would you guys prefer I continue the training arc? It may take a while to get the actual plot going that I have planned out if I do this and I am pretty sure I have most of the relationships built anyways. Or would you guys rather have me start the very very different Battle of Trost that I have planned and insert training scenes as flashbacks here and there? This way you guys could get a lot more of the action far quicker. Underworld flashbacks included. Let me know what you guys think so I can get to work on the next chapter while I still have some free time available.**

 **Until next time!**


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